x^^^. 



^ 














^ 
^ 



ift'^ 









^A v^ 






vOc 



t 1? o >. 



^^ ■■ 






^y^- 



-.. .^^' 



-^: Ay"^- '^S -^^ 









-^A v^' 



:'K'- '^ .^^^' - /^ 






oo' 









c^ 






.i> "^ 



^^ ' ^ 






^^'. 



y ^ ^-^^ 



-0' 



k ^ 







^ ^^ 


.^ 


'\ 








S>\^ 



\.."^^y,,.^' 



^^0ltSi^.^^JlfMj^ .:,, 




"P^ojle 



PHILADELPHIA 
J. B. LIPPING OTT di CO. 



SPANISH PAPERS. 



BY 

WASHINGTON IRVING, 

w 
EDITED BY 



PIERRE AL IRVING. 



PHILADELPHIA \ 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 
1872. 



7* "-> 



Tip/ 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, by 

G. P. Putnam and Son, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District o 

New York. 



^S^^cvA^v , G^«i*u^i^^^^^^' 







PREFACE BY THE EDITOR. 



LIMITED edition of the " Legends of the 
Conquest of Spain," with which this volume 
commences, was published in 1835. These 
Legends, consisting of the " Legend of Don Roder- 
ick," the " Legend of the Subjugation of Spain,'* 
the " Legend of Count Julian and his Family," 
formed No. IIL of the " Crayon Miscellany." For 
the Chronicles which follow them, with the exception 
of " Abderahman " and " Spanish Romance," which 
have appeared in the " Knickerbocker Magazine,'* 
I have drawn upon the unpublished manuscripts of 
Mr. Irving, bequeathed to me by his will. This por- 
tion of the volume is illustrative of the wars be- 
tween the Spaniards and the Moors, and consists of 
the " Legend of Pelayo," the " Chronicle of Coimt 
Fernan Gonzalez," the most illustrious hero of his 
epoch, who united the kingdoms of Leon and Cas- 
tile ; and the " Chronicle of Fernando the Saint,'' 
that renowned champion of the faith, under whom 
the greater part of Spain was rescued from the 
Moors. I have selected these themes from a mass of 
unpublished manuscript that came into my hands at 



vi PREFACE BY THE EDITOR. 

the death of Mr. Irving, because they bore the un- 
press of being most nearly, though not fully, pre- 
pared for the press, and because they had for him a 
special fascination, arising in part, perhaps, from his 
long residence in that romantic country. " These old 
Morisco- Spanish subjects " — is the language of one 
of his published letters — " have a charm that makes 
me content to write about them at half price. They 
have so much that is high-minded, and chivalrous, 
and quaint, and picturesque, and at times half comiC| 
about them." 




CONTENTS. 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

CHAPTER I. PAQH 

Of the Ancient Inhabitants of Spain. — Of the Misrule 

of Witiza the Wicked • • • • • 1 

CHAPTER n. 
The Rise of Don Roderick. — His Government . . 8 

CHAPTER III. 
Of the Loves of Roderick and the Princess Elyata . 13 

CHAPTER IV. 
Of Count Julian 19 

CHAPTER V. 
The Story of Florinda .22 

CHAPTER VI. 
Don Roderick receives an Extraordinary Embassy . 31 

CHAPTER VH. 
Storj^ of the Marvelous and Portentous Tower . . 35 



VIll CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

PAQX 

Count Julian. — His Fortunes in Africa. — He hears of 

the Dishonor of his Child. — His Conduct thereupon 41 

CHAPTER IX. 

Secret Visit of Count Julian to the Arab Camp. — First 

Expedition of Taiic El Tuerto .... 53 

CHAPTER X. 

Letter of Muza to the Caliph. — Second Expedition of 

Taric el Tuerto 58 

CHAPTER XI. 

Measures of Don Roderick on Hearing of the Invasion. — 

Expedition of Ataulpho. — Vision of Taric • . 64 

CHAPTER XII. 
Battle of Calpe. —Fate of Ataulpho .... 69 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Terror of the Country. — Roderick rouses himself to 

Arms 76 

CHAPTER XIV. 

March of the Gothic Army. — Encampment on the 
Banks of the Guadalete. — Mysterious Predictions 
of a Palmer. — Conduct of Pelistes thereupon . 82 

CHAPTER XV. 

Skirmishing of the Armies. — Pelistes and his Son. — 

Pelistes and the Bishop • . 88 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Traitorous Message of Count Julian .... 93 



CONTENTS. IX 

CHAPTER XVII. 

PAGI 

Last Day of the Battle 97 

CHAPTER XVHI. 

The Field of Battle after the Defeat. — The Fate of Rod- 
erick 103 

ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE FOREGOING LEGEND. 

The Tomb of Roderick . 108 

The Cave of Hercules . . • . • . .109 

LEGEND OF THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

CHAPTER L 

Consternation of Spain. — Conduct of the Conquerors. — 

Missives between Taric and Muza . • • • 119 

CHAPTER II. 

Capture of Granada. — Subjugation of the Alpuxarra 

Mountains 125 



CHAPTER IIL 

Expedition of Magued against Cordova. — Defense of 

the Patriot Pelistes 132 



CHAPTER IV. 
Defense of the Convent of St. George by Pelistes • • 136 

CHAPTER V. 

Meeting between the Patriot: Pelistes and the Traitor 

Julian 142 



X CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER YI. 

PAGB 

How Taric El Tuerto captured the City of Toledo through 
the Aid of the Jews, and how he found the famous 
Talismanic Table of Solomon . . . • . Lib 

CHAPTER VH. 

Musa ben "Nosier. — His Entrance into Spain and Cap- 
ture of Carmona 153 

CHAPTER VIH. 
Muza marches against the City of Seville • • .158 

CHAPTER IX. 
Musa besieges the City of Merida 160 

CHAPTER X. 

Expedition of Abdalasis against Seville and the " Land 

ofTadmir." • . 168 

CHAPTER XL 

Muza arrives at Toledo. — Interview between him and 

Taric . , 177 

CHAPTER XIL 

Muza prosecutes the Scheme of Conquest. — Siege of 

Saragossa. — Complete Subjugation of Spain . • 182 

CHAPTER XIIL 

Feud between the Arab Generals. — They are summoned 
to appear before the Caliph at Damascus. — Recep- 
tion of Taric 187 



CONTENTS. XI 

CHAPTER XIV. 

PAGB 

Muza arrives at Damascus. — His Interview with the 
Caliph. — The Table of Solomon. — A rigorous Sen- 
tence . . • • • 193 

CHAPTER XV. 
Conduct of Abdalasis as Emir of Spain . • • . 198 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Loves of Abdalasis and Exilona • . • • • 203 

CHAPTER XVII. ^ 

Fate of Abdalasis and Exilona. — Death of Muza . • 208 



LEGEND OF COUNT JULIAN AND HIS 
FAMILY. 

Legend of Count Julian and his Family . • • . 217 
Note to the preceding Legend 232 



THE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 

CHAPTER L 

Obscurity of the Ancient Chronicles. — The Loves of 
Dona Lucia and the Duke Favila. — Birth of Pe- 
layo, and what happened thereupon; His Early 
Fortunes, and his Tutelage under the veteran Count 
Grafeses 237 

CHAPTER II. 

What happened to Pelayo at the Court of Witiza . .246 
b 



XU CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER III. 

PAOH 

How Pelayo lived among the Mountains of Cantabria. — 
His Adventure with the Needy Hidalgo of Gascony 
and the Rich Merchant of Bordeaux. — Discourse 
of the Holy Hermit 249 

CHAPTER IV. 

Pilgrimage of Pelayo, and what befell him on his Re- 
turn to Spain 261 

CHAPTER V. 
The Battle of Covadonga 268 

CHAPTER VI. 
Pelayo becomes King of Leon. — His Death . • • 274 



ABDERAHMAN: FOUNDER OF THE DY- 
NASTY OF THE OMMIADES OF SPAIN. 

CHAPTER I. 
Of the Youthful Fortunes of Abderahman • . .279 

CHAPTER II. 

Landing of Abderahman in Spain. — Condition of the 

Countiy •••... . • 289 

CHAPTER III. 

Triumphs of Abderahman. — The Palm-tree which he 
planted, and the Verses he composed thereupon. — 
Insurrections. — His Enemies subdued. — Undis- 
puted Sovereign of the Moslems of Spain, — Begins 
the famous Mosque in Cordova, — His Death , . 293 



CONTENTS. Xlii 



CHRONICLE OF FERNAN GONZALEZ, 
COUNT OF CASTILE. 

PAG6 

Tntroduction . . * . ^ . . . 313 

CHAPTER I. 

Fiistallation of Fernan Gonzalez as Count of Castile. — 
His First Campaiga against the Moors. — Victory of 
San Quiixje. — How tlie Count disposed of the 
Spoils 316 

CHAPTER n. 

Of the Sally from Burgos, and Surprise of the Castle of 
Lara. — Capitulation of the Town. — Visit to Al 
fonso the Great, King of Leon 284 

CHAPTER IH. 

Expedition against the l<'c«i;ress of Mugnon. — Desperate 
Defense of the Moors. — Enterprise against Castro 
Xeriz 32G 

CHAPTER IV. 

How the Count of Castile and the King of Leon make a 
Triumphant Foray into the Moorish Country. — 
Capture of Salamanca. — Of the Challenge brought 
by the Herald, and of the Count's Defiance . . 3211 

CHAPTER V. 

A Night Assault upon the Castle of Carazo* — The Moor- 
ish Maiden who betrayed the Garrison . • • 33] 

CHAPTER VL 

Death of Alfonso, King of Leon. — The Moors deter- 
mined to strike a fresh Blow at the Count, who sum- 



Xiv CONTENTS, 

PAOE 

mons all Castile to his Standard. — Of his Hunt in 
the Forest while waiting for the Enemy, and of the 
Hermit that he met with 335 

CHAPTER VII. 
The Battle of the Ford of Cascajares .... 340 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Of the Message sent by the Count to Sancho II., King 
of Navarre, and the Reply. — Their Encounter in 
Battle .... .... 343 

CHAPTER IX. 

How the Count of Toulouse makes a Campaign against 

Castile, and how he returns in his Coffin . . . 347 

CHAPTER X. 

How the Count went to receive the Hand of a Princess, 
and was thrown into a Dungeon. — Of the Stran- 
ger that visited him in his Chains, and of the Ap- 
peal that he made to the Princess for his Deliverance 351 

CHAPTER XI. 

Of the Meditations of the Princess, and their Result. — 
Her Flight from the Prison with the Count, and 
Perils of the Escape. — The Nuptials . . . 35& 

CHAPTER XII. 

King Garcia confined in Burgos by the Count. — The 

Princess intercedes for his Release .... 361 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Of the Expedition against the ancient City of Sylo. — 
The unwitting Trespass of the Count into a Con- 
vent, and his Compunction thereupon . . . 363 



CONTENTS. 3CV 

CHAPTER XIY. 

PAQ& 

Of the Moorish Host that came up from Cordova, and 
how the Count repaired to the Hermitage of San 
Pedro, and prayed for Success against them, and 
received Assurance of Victory in a Vision. — Battle 
of Hazinas 366 

CHAPTER XV. 

The Count imprisoned by the King of Leon. — The 
Countess concerts his Escape- — Leon and Castile 
united by the Marriage of the Prince Ordono with 
Urraca, the Daughter of the Count by his first Wife 373 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Moorish Incursion into Castile. — Battle of San Estevan. 
— Of Pascual Vivas and the Miracle that befell 
him.— Death of Ordono III 378 

CHAPTER XVII. 

King Sancho the Fat. — Of the Homage he exacted 
from Count Feman Gonzalez, and of the strange 
Bargain that he made with him for the Purchase of 
his Horse and Falcon ...... 383 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
Further of tht Horse and Falcon 389 



CHAPTER XIX. 
The Last Campaign of Count Fernan. — His Death , 393 

— • 

CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT 

CHAPTER L 

The Parentage of Feraando. — Queen Berenguela. — 
The Laras. — Don Alvar conceals the Death of King 



xvi eONTENT5\ 



PA6I 



Henry. — Mission of Queen Berenguela to Alfonso 
IX. — She renounces the Crown of Castile in favor 
of her son Fernando ....... 



CHAPTER II. 

King Alfonso of Leon ravages Castile. — Captivity of 

Don Alvar. — Death of the Laras .... 408 

CHAPTER UI. 

Marriage of King Fernando. — Campaign against the 
Moors. — Aben Mohamed, King of Baeza, declares 
himself the Vassal of King Fernando. — They march 
to Jaen. — Burning of the Tower. — Fernando com- 
mences the Building of the Cathedral at Toledo . 415 

CHAPTER IV. 

Assassination of Aben Mohamed. — His Head carried 
as a Present to Abullale, the Moorish King of Se- 
ville. — Advance of the Christians into Andalusia. — 
Abullale purchases a Truce 420 

CHAPTER V. 

Aben Hud. — Abullale purchases another Year's Truce. 
— Fernando hears of the Death of his Father, the 
King of Leon, while pressing the Siege of Jaen. — 
He becomes Sovereign of the two Kingdoms of Leon 
and Castile 423 

CHAPTER VI. 

Expedition of the Prince Alonzo against the Moors. — 
Encamps on the Banks of the Guadalete. — Aben 
Hud marches out from Xerez and gives Battle. — 
Prowess of Garcia Perez de Vargas. — Fight and 
Pursuit of the Moors. — Miracle of the Blessed 
Santiago 427 



CONTENTS. xvii 

CHAPTER VII. 



PAGl 



A bold Attempt upon Cordova, the Seat of Moorish 
Power 435 



CHAPTER VIII. 

A Spy in the Christian Camp. — Death of Aben Hud. — 
A vital Blow to Moslem Power. — Surrender of 
Cordova to King Fernando 433 

CHAPTER IX. 

Marriage of King Fernando to the Princess Juana. — 

Famine at Cordova. — Don Alvar Perez . . . 446 



CHAPTER X. 

Aben Alhamar, Founder of the Alhambra. — Fortifies 
Granada and makes it his Capital. — Attempts to 
Surprise the Castle of Martos. — Peril of the For- 
tress. — A Woman's Stratagem to save it. — Diego 
Perez, the Smasher. — Death of Count Alvar Perez 
de Castro . . . 450 



CHAPTER XI. 

Aben Hudiel, the Moorish King of Murcia, becomes the 
Vassal of King Fernando. — Aben Alhamar seeks 
to drive the Christians out of Andalusia. — Fernan- 
do takes the Field against him. — Ravages of the 
King. — His last Meeting with the Queen-Mother . 456 

CHAPTER XII. 

King Femando*s Expedition to Andalusia. — Siege of 
Jaen. — Secret Departure of Aben Alhamar for the 
Christian Camp. — He acknowledges himself the 
Vassal of the King, who enters Jaen in Triumph i^% 



xviii CONTENTS, 

CHAPTER Xril. 

TAGB 

Axataf, King of Seville, exasperated at the Submission 
of the King of Granada. — Rejects the Propositions 
of King Fernando for a Truce. — The latter is en- 
couraged by a Vision to undertake the Conquest of 
the City of Seville. — Death of Queen Berenguela. 

— A Diplomatic Marriage 470 

CHAPTER XIY. 

Investment of Seville. — All Spain aroused to Arms. — 
Surrender of Alcala del Rio. — The Fleet of Ad- 
miral Ramon Bonifaz advances up the Guadalquivir. 

— Don Pelayo Correa, Master of Santiago. — His 
Valorous Deeds and the Miracles wrought in his 
behalf 475 

CHAPTER XV. 

King Fernando changes his Camp. — Garci Perez and 

the Seven Moors 482 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Of the Raft built by the Moors, and how it was boarded 
by Admiral Bonifax. — Destruction of the Moorish 
Fleet. — Succor from Africa . . . . . 488 

CHAPTER XVH. 

Of the Stout Prior Ferran Ruyz, and how he rescued his 
Cattle from the Moors. — Further Enterprises of the 
Prior, and of the Ambuscade into which he Fell . 492 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Bravado of the Three Cavaliers. — Ambush at the 
Bridge over the Guadayra. — Desperate Valor of 
Garci Perez. — Grand Attempt of Admiral Bonifaz 
on the Bridge of Boats. — Seville dismembered from 
Triana 496 



CONTENTS, xix 

CHAPTER XIX. 

PAGB 

Investment of Triana. — Garci Perez and the Infanzon 504 

CHAPTER XX. 

Capitulation of Seville. — Dispersion of the Moorish In- 
habitants. — Triumphant Kntrj^ of King Fernando 508 

CHAPTER XXI. 
Death of King Fernando •••••. 514 



SPANISH ROMANCE. 

Spanish Romance 519 

Legend of Don Munio Sancho de Hinojosa . • . 523 



PREFACE. 




jlEW events in history have been so original 
and striking in their main circumstances, 
^ and so overwhelming and enduring in their 

consequences, as that of the conquest of Spain by the 
Saracens ; yet there are few where the motives, and 
characters, and actions of the agents have been en- 
veloped in more doubts and contradiction. As in the 
memorable story of the " Fall of Troy,'' we have to 
make out, as well as we can, the veritable details 
through the mists of poetic fiction ; yet poetry has 
so combmed itself with, and lent its magic coloring to 
every fact, that to strip it away would be to reduce 
the story to a meagre skeleton and rob it of all its 
charms. The storm of Moslem invasion that swept 
so suddenly over the peninsula, silenced for a time 
the faint voice of the Muse, and drove the sons of 
learning from then- ceUs. The pen was thrown aside 
to grasp tlie sword and spear, and men were too 
much taken up with battling against the evils which 
beset them on every side, to find time or inclination 
to record them. 

When the nation had recovered in some degr-e 



Xxii PREFACE, 

from tlie effects of this astounding blow, or rather 
had become accustomed to the tremendous reverse 
which it produced, and sage men sought to inquire 
and write the particulars, it was too late to ascertain 
them in their exact verity. The gloom and mel- 
ancholy that had overshadowed the land had given 
birth to a thousand superstitious fancies ; the woes 
and terrors of the past were clothed with super- 
natural miracles and portents, and the actors in the 
fearful drama had already assumed the dubious char- 
acteristics of romance. Or if a writer from among 
the conquerors undertook to touch upon the theme, 
it was embellished with all the wild extravagances 
of an oriental imagination, which afterwards stole 
into the graver works of the monkish historians. 

Hence, the earliest chronicles which treat of the 
downfall of Spain, are apt to be tinctured with those 
saintly miracles which savor of the pious labors of 
the cloister, or those fanciful fictions that betray 
their Arabian authors. Yet from these apocryphal 
sources the most legitimate and accredited Spanish 
histories have taken their rise, as pure rivers may be 
traced up to the fens and mantled pools of a morass. 
It is true, the authors, with cautious discrimination, 
have discarded those particulars too starthng for 
belief, and have culled only such as, from their 
probability and congruity, might be safely recorded 
as historical facts ; yet, scarce one of these but has 
been connected in the original with some romantic 
fiction, and, even in its divorced state, bears traces 
of its former alliance. 



PREFACE. XXI U 

To discard, however, everytliing wild and marvel- 
ous in tliis portion of Spanish history, is to discard 
some of its most beautiful, instructive, and national 
features ; it is to judge of Spain by the standard of 
probability suited to tamer and more prosaic coun- 
tries. Spain is virtually a land of poetry and ro- 
mance, where every-day life partakes of adventure, 
and where the least agitation or excitement carries 
everything up into extravagant enterprize and daring 
exploit. The Spaniards, in all ages, have been of 
swelling and braggart spirit, soaring in thought, pom- 
pous in word, and valiant, though vainglorious, in 
deed. Their heroic aims have transcended the cooler 
conceptions of their neighbors, and their reckless dar- 
ing has borne them on to achievements which prudent 
enterprise could never have accomplished. Since 
the time, too, of the conquest and occupation of 
their country by the Arabs, a strong infusion of 
oriental magnificence has entered into the national 
character, and rendered the Spaniard distinct from 
every other nation of Europe. 

In the following pages, therefore, the author has 
ventured to dip more deeply into the enchanted 
fountains of old Spanish chronicle than has usually 
been done by those who, in modern times, have 
treated of the eventful period of the Conquest ; but 
in so doing, he trusts he will illustrate more fully 
the character of the people and the times. He has 
thought proper to throw these records into the form 
of legends, not claiming for them the authenticity 



XXIV PREFACE. 

of sober history, yet giving nothing that has not 
historical foundation. All the facts herein con- 
tained, however extravagant some of them may be 
deemed, will be found in the works of sage and 
reverend chroniclers of yore, growing side by side 
with long-acknowledged truths, and might be sup- 
ported by learned and imposing references in the 
margin. 



LEGENDS OF THE CONQUEST OF 
SPAIN. 



THE LE&END OF DON EODERICK/ 



CHAPTER I. 

Of the Ancient Inhabitants of Spain. — Of the Misrule of 
Witiza the Wicked. 




I PAIN, or Iberia as it was called in an- 
cient days, has been a country harassed 
^^^j from the earliest times by the invader. 
The Celts, the Greeks, the Phenicians, the Car- 
thaginians, by turns or simultaneously, infringed its 
territories, drove the native Iberians from their 
rightful homes, and established colonies and 
founded cities in the land. It subsequently fell 
into the all-grasping power of Rome, remaining 
for some time a subjugated province ; and when 
that gigantic empire crumbled into pieces, the 
Suevi, the Alani, and the Vandals, those barba- 
rians of the North, overran and ravaged this de- 

1 Many of the facts in this legend are taken from an old 
CI ronicle, written in quaint and antiquated Spanish, and pro- 
fessing to be a translation from the Arabian chronicle of the 
Moor Rasis, by Mohammed, a Moslem writer, and Gil Perez, a 
Spanish priest. It is supposed to be a piece of literary mosaic 
work, made up from both Spanish and Arabian chronicles; 
yet, from this work most of the Spanish historians have drawn 
their particulars relative to the fortunes of Don Roderick. 
1 



2 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

voted country, and portioned out the soil among 
them. 

Their sway was not of long duration. In the 
fifth century the Goths, who were then the allies 
of Rome, undertook the reconquest of Iberia, and 
succeeded, after a desperate struggle of three 
years' duration. They drove before them the bar- 
barous hordes, their predecessors, intermarried 
and incorporated themselves with the original in- 
habitants, and founded a powerful and splendid 
empire, comprising the Iberian peninsula, the an- 
cient Narbonnaise, afterwards called Gallia Gotica, 
or Gothic Gaul, and a part of the African coast 
called Tingitania. A new nation was, in a manner, 
produced by this mixture of the Goths and 
Iberians. Sprang from a union of warrior races, 
reared and nurtured amidst the din of arms, the 
Gothic Spaniards, if they may so be termed, were 
a warlike, unquiet, yet high-minded and heroic 
people. Their simple and abstemious habits, 
their contempt for toil and suffering, and their 
love of daring enterprise, fitted them for a soldier's 
life. So addicted were they to war that, when 
they had no external foes to contend with, they 
fought with one another; and, when engaged in 
battle, says an old chronicler, the very thunders 
and lightnings of heaven could not separate them.^ 

For two centuries and a half the Gothic power 
remained unshaken, and the sceptre was wielded 
by twenty-five successive kings. The crown was 
elective, in a council of palatines, composed of 

1 Florain, de Ocampo, lib. 3, c. 12. Justin, Abi-ev. Trog 
Pomp.y lib. 44. Bleda, Cronica, lib. 2, c. 3. 



FBE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 3 

the bishops and nobles, who, while they swore 
allegiance to the newly made sovereign, bound 
him by a reciprocal oath to be faithful to his trust. 
Their choice was made from among the people, 
subject only to one condition, that the king should 
be of pure Gothic blood. But though the crown 
was elective in principle, it gradually became hered- 
itary from usage, and the power of the sovereign 
grew to be almost a!)solute. The king was com- 
mander-in-chief of the armies ; the whole patronage 
of the kingdom was in liis hands ; he summoned 
and dissolved the national councils ; he made and 
revoked laws according to his pleasure ; and, 
having ecclesiastical supremacy, he exercised a 
sway even over the consciences of his subjects. 

The Goths, at the time of their inroad, were 
stout adherents of the Arian doctrines ; but after 
a time they embraced the Catholic faith, which 
was maintained by the native Spaniards free from 
many of the gross superstitions of the Church at 
Rome, and this unity of faith contributed more 
than anything else to blend and harmonize the 
two races into one. The bishops and other clergy 
were exemplary in their lives, and aided to pro- 
mote the influence of the laws and maintain the 
authority of the state. The fruits of regular and 
secure government were manifest in the advance- 
ment of agriculture, commerce, and the peaceful 
arts ; and in the increase of wealth, of luxury, 
and refinement ; but there was a gradual decline 
of the simple, hardy, and warlike habits that had 
distinguished the nation in its semi-barbarons 
iays. 



4 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK 

Such was the state of Spain when, in the year 
of Redemption 701, Witiza was elected to the 
Gothic throne. The beginning of his reign gave 
promise of happy days to Spain. He redressed 
grievances, moderated the tributes of his subjects, 
and conducted himself with raingl'ed mildness and 
energy in the administration of the laws. In a 
little while, however, he threw off the mask, and 
showed himself in his true nature — cruel and 
luxurious. 

Two of his relatives, sons of a preceding king, 
awakened his jealousy for the security of his 
throne. One of them, named Favila, Duke of 
Cantabria, he put to death, and would have in- 
flicted the same fate upon his son Pelayo, but 
that the youth was beyond his reach, being pre- 
served by Providence for the future salvation of 
Spain. The other object of his suspicion was 
Theodofredo, who lived retired from court. The 
violence of Witiza reached him even in his retire- 
ment. His eyes were put out, and he was im- 
mured within a castle at Cordova. Roderick, the 
youthful son of Theodofredo, escaped to Italy, 
where he received protection from the Romans. 

Witiza, now considering himself secure upon 
the throne, gave the reins to his licentious passions, 
and soon, by his tyranny and sensuality, acquired 
the appellation of Witiza the Wicked. Despising 
the old Gothic continence, and yielding to the 
example of the sect of Mahomet, which suited 
his lascivious temperament, he indulged in a 
plurality of wives and concubines, encouraging 
his subjects to do the same. Nay, he even sought 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 5 

to gain the sanction of the Church to his excesses, 
promulgating a law by which tlie clergy were re- 
leased from their vows of celibacy, and permitted 
to marry and to entertain paramours. 

The sovereign Pontiff Constantine threatened 
to depose and excommunicate him, unless he 
abroo^ated this licentious law ; but Witiza set him 
at defiance, threatening, like his Gothic predecessor 
Alaric, to assail the eternal city with his troops, 
and make spoil of her accumulated treasures.^ 
" We will adorn our damsels," said he, " with the 
jewels of Rome, and replenish our coffers from 
the mint of St. Peter." 

Some of the clergy opposed themselves to the 
innovating spirit of the monarch, and endeavored 
from the pulpits to rally the people to the pure 
doctrines of their faith ; but they were deposed 
from their sacred office, and banished as seditious 
mischief-makers. The church of Toledo continued 
refractory ; the Archbishop Sindaredo, it is true, 
was disposed to accommodate himself to the cor- 
ruptions of the times, but the prebendaries battled 
intrepidly against the new laws of the monarch, 
and stood manfully in defense of their vows of 
chastity. " Since the church of Toledo will not 
yield itself to our will," said Witiza, " it shall have 
two husbands." So saying, he appointed his own 
brother Oppas, at that time archbishop of Seville, 
to take a seat with Sindaredo in the episcopal 
chair of Toledo, and made him primate of Spain. 
He was a priest after his own heart, and seconded 
tiim in all his profligate abuses. 

1 Chron. de Luiipi'ando, 709. Abarca, Anales de Aragon 
»'el Mahometismo, fol. 5). 



6 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 

It was in vain the denunciations of the Chuich 
were fulminated from the chair of St. Peter. 
Witiza threw off all allegiance to the Raman 
Pontiff, threatening with pain of death those who 
should obey the papal mandates. " We will suffer 
no foreign ecclesiastic, with triple crown," said he, 
" to domineer over our dominions." 

The Jews had been banished from the country 
during the preceding reign, but Witiza permitted 
them to return, and even bestowed upon their 
synagogues privileges of which he had despoiled 
the churches. The children of Israel, when scat- 
tered throughout the earth by the fall of Jerusalem, 
had carried with them into other lands the gainful 
arcana of traffic, and were especially noted as 
opulent money-changers, and curious dealers in 
gold and silver and precious stones ; on this occa- 
sion, therefore, they were enabled, it is said, to 
repay the monarch for his protection by bags of 
money, and caskets of sparkling gems, the rich 
product of their oriental commerce. 

The kingdom at this time enjoyed external 
peace, but there were symptoms of internal discon- 
tent. Witiza took the alarm ; he remembered the 
ancient turbulence of the nation and its proneness 
to internal feuds. Issuing secret orders, there- 
fore, in all directions, he dismantled most of the 
cities, and demolished the castles and fortresses 
that might serve as rallying points for the factious. 
He disarmed the people also, and converted the 
weapons of war into the implements of peace 
It seemed, in fact, as if the millennium were 
flawning upon the land ; for the sword was beaten 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 7 

Into a ploughshare, and the spear into a pruning- 
hook. 

While thus the ancient martial fire of the nation 
was extinguished, its morals likewise were cor- 
rupted. The altars were abandoned, the churches 
closed, wide disorder and sensuality prevailed 
throughout the land, so that, according to the old 
chroniclers, within the compass of a few short 
years, " Witiza the Wicked taught all Spain to 
sin." 





CHAPTER II. 

The Rise of Don Roderick. — His Government. 

|0E to the ruler who founds his hope of 
sway on the weakness or corruption of 
the people. The very measures taken 
by Witiza to perpetuate his power ensured his 
downfall. While the whole nation, under his li- 
centious rule, was sinking into vice and effemina- 
cy, and the arm of war was unstrung, the youth- 
ful Roderick, son of Theodofredo, was training up 
for action in the stern but wholesome school of 
adversity. He instructed himself in the use of 
arms; became adroit and vigorous by varied ex- 
ercises : learned to despise all danger, and in- 
ured himself to hunger and watchfulness and the 
rigor of the seasons. 

His merits and misfortunes procured him many 
friends among the Romans ; amd when, being 
arrived at a fitting age, he undertook to revenge 
the wrongs of his father and his kindred, a host 
of brave and hardy soldiers flocked to his stan^ 
dard. With these he made his sudden appearance 
in Spain. The friends of his house and the 
disaffected of all classes hastened to join him, 
and he advanced rapidly and without opposition, 
through an unarmed and enervated land. 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, S 

Witiza saw too late the evil he had brought 
upon himself. He made a hasty levy, and took 
the field with a scantily equipped and undisciplined 
host, but was easily routed and made prisoner, 
and the whole kingdom submitted to Don Rod- 
erick. 

The ancient city of Toledo, the royal residence 
of the Gothic kings, was the scene of high fes- 
tivity and solemn ceremonial on the coronation 
of the victor. Whether he was elected to the 
throne according to the Gothic usage, or seized 
it by the right of conquest, is a matter of dispute 
among historians, but all agree that the nation 
submitted cheerfully to his sway, and looked for- 
ward to prosperity and happiness under their 
newly elevated monarch. His appearance and 
character seemed to justify the anticipation. He 
was in the splendor of youth, and of a majestic 
presence. His soul was bold and daring, and el- 
evated by lofty desires. He had a sagacity that 
penetrated -the thoughts of men, and a magnifi- 
cent spirit that won all hearts. Such is the pic- 
ture which ancient writers give of Don Roderick, 
when, with all the stern and simple virtues un- 
impaired, which he had acquired in adversity and 
exile, and flushed with the triumph of a pious 
revenge, he ascended the Gothic throne. 

Prosperity, however, is the real touchstone of 
the human heart ; no sooner did Roderick find 
himself in possession of the crown, than the love 
of power and the jealousy of rule were awakened 
n his breast. His first measure was against 
Witiza who was brought in chains into his pres- 



10 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

ence. Roderick beheld the captive monarch with 
an unpitying eye, remembering only his wrongs 
and cruelties to his father. " Let the evils he 
has inflicted on others be visited upon his own 
head," said he ; " as he did unto Theodofredo, 
even so be it done unto him." So the eyes of 
Witiza were put out, and he was thrown into the 
same dungeon at Cordova in which Theodofredo 
had languished. There he passed the brief rem- 
nant of his days in perpetual darkness, a prey to 
wretchedness and remorse. 

Roderick now cast an uneasy and suspicious 
eye upon Evan and Siseburto, the two sons of 
Witiza. Fearful lest they should foment some 
secret rebellion, he banished them the kingdom. 
They took refuge in the Spanish dominions in 
Africa, where they were received and hat-bored 
by Requila, governor of Tangier, out of grat- 
itude for favors which he had received from their 
late father. There they remained, to brood over 
their fallen fortunes, and to aid in working out 
the future woes of Spain. 

Their uncle Oppas, bishop of Seville, who had 
been made copartner, by Witiza, in the archi- 
episcopal chair at Toledo, would have likewise 
fallen under the suspicion of the king ; but he 
was a man of consummate art, and vast exterior 
sanctity, and won upon the good graces of the 
monarch. He was suffered, therefore, to retain 
his sacred office at Seville ; but the see of To- 
ledo was given in charge to the venerable Urbino, 
and the law of Witiza was revoked that dis- 
pensed the clergy from their vows of celibacy. 



TEE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 11 

The jealousy of Roderick for the security of 
his crown was soon again aroused, and his meas- 
ures were prompt and severe. Having been in- 
formed that the governors of certain castles and 
fortresses in Castile and Andalusia had conspired 
against him, he caused them to be put to death 
and their strongholds to be demolished. He now 
went on to imitate the pernicious policy of his 
predecessor, throwing down walls and towers, 
disarming the people, and thus incapacitating 
them from rebellion. A few cities were permit- 
ted to retain their fortifications, but these were 
intrusted to alcaids in whom he had especial 
confidence ; the greater part of the kingdom was 
left defenseless ; the nobles, who had been roused 
to temporary manhood during the recent stir of 
war, sunk back into the inoiorious state of inac- 
tion which had disgraced them during the reign 
of Witiza — passing their time in feasting and 
dancing to the sound of loose and wanton min- 
strelsy.i It was scarcely possible to recognize 
in these idle wassailers and soft voluptuaries the 
descendants of the stern and frugal warriors of 
the frozen North — who had braved flood and 
mountain, and heat and cold, and had battled 
their way to empire across half a world in arms. 

They surrounded their youthful monarch, it is 
true, with a blaze of military pomp. Nothing 
could surpass the splendor of their arms, which 
were embossed and enameled, and enriched with 
gold and jewels and curious devices ; nothing 
could be more gallant and glorious than their 
1 Mariana, Hist Esp.^ lib. 6, c. 21. 



12 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

array ; it was all plume and banner and silken 
pageantry, the gorgeous trappings for tilt and 
tourney and courtly revel; but the iron soul of 
war was wanting. 

How rare it is to learn wisdom from the mis- 
fortunes of others. With the fate of Witiza full 
before his eyes, Don Roderick indulged in the 
same pernicious errors, and was doomed, in like 
manner, to prepare the way for his own perdi- 
tion. 




CHAPTER III. 



Of the Loves of Roderick and the Princess Elyata. 




i S yet the heart of Roderick, occupied by 
the struggles of his early life, by war- 
like enterprises, and by the inquietudes 
of newly-gotten power, had been insensible to the 
charms of women ; but in the present voluptuous 
calm the amorous propensities of his nature as- 
sumed their sway. There are divers accounts of 
the youthful beauty who first found favor in his 
eyes, and was elevated by him to the throne. 
We follow in our legend the details of an Ara- 
bian chronicler,^ authenticated by a Spanish poet.^ 
Let those who dispute our facts produce better 
authority for their contradiction. 

Among the few fortified places that had not 
been dismantled by Don Roderick was the an- 
cient city of Denia, situated on the Mediterranean 
coast, and defended on a rock-built castle that- 
overlooked the sea. 

The alcaide of the castle, with many of the 
people of Denia, was one day on his knees in the 
chapel, imploring the Virgin to allay a tempest 
which was strewing the coast with wrecks, when 

1 Perdida de Espana^ por Abulcacim Tarif Abentarique, 
lib. 1. 

2 Lope de Vega. 



14 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

a sentinel brought word that a Moorish cruiser 
was standing for the land. The alcaide gave 
orders to ring the alarm-bells, light signal-fires on 
the hill-tops, and rouse the country, for the coast 
was subject to cruel maraudiogs from the Barbary 
cruisers. 

In a little while the horsemen of the neighbor- 
hood were seen pricking along the beach, armed 
with such weapons as they could find, and the 
alcaide and his scanty garrison descended from 
the hill. In the mean time the Moorish bark 
came rolling and pitching towards the land. As 
it drew near, the rich carving and gilding with 
which it was decorated, its silken bandaroles and 
banks of crimson oars, showed it to be no warlike 
vessel, but a sumptuous galiot destined for state 
and ceremony. It bore the marks of the tem- 
pest ; the masts were broken, the oars shattered, 
and fragments of snowy sails and silken awnings 
were fluttering in the blast. 

As the galiot grounded upon the sand, the im- 
patient rabble rushed into the surf to capture and 
make spoil ; but were awed into admiration and 
respect by the appearance of the illustrious com- 
pany on board. There wqyq Moors of both sexes 
sumptuously arrayed, and adorned with precious 
jewels, bearing the demeanor of persons of lofty 
rank. Among them shone conspicuous a youth- 
ful beauty, magnificently attired, to whom all 
seemed to pay reverence. 

Several of the Moors suriounded her with 
drawn swords, threatening death to any that ap- 
proached; others sprang from the bark, and 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 15 

throwing tliemselves on their knees before the 
alcaide, implored him, by his honor and courtesy 
as a knight, to protect a royal virgin from injury 
and insult. 

" You behold before you," said they, " the only 
daughter of the king of Algiers, the betrothed 
bride of the son of the king of Tunis. We 
were conducting her to the court of her expecting 
bridegroom, when a tempest drove us from our 
course, and compelled us to take refuge on your 
coast. Be not more cruel than the tempest, but 
deal nobly with that which even sea and storm 
have spared." 

The alcaide listened to their prayers. He 
conducted the princess and her train to the castle, 
where every honor due to her rank was paid her. 
Some of her ancient attendants interceded for her 
liberation, promising countless sums to be paid by 
her father for her ransom ; but the alcaide 
turned a deaf ear to all their golden offers. 
'' She is a royal captive," said he ; " it belongs to 
my sovereign alone to dispose of her." After 
she had reposed, therefore, for some days at the 
castle, and recovered from the fatigue and terror 
of the seas, he caused her to be conducted, with 
all her train, in magnificent state to the court of 
Don Roderick. 

The beautiful Elyata^ entered Toledo more 
like a triumphant sovereign than a captive. A 
chosen band of Christian horsemen, splendidly 
armed, appeared to wait upon her as a mere guard 
of honor. She was surrounded by the Moorish 
1 B» some she is called Zara. 



16 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

damsels of her train, and followed by her own 
Moslem guards, all attired with the magnificence 
that had been intended to grace her arrival at 
the CO art of Tunis. The princess was arrayed 
in bridal robes, woven in the most costly looms 
of the Orient ; her diadem sparkled with dia- 
monds and was decorated with the rarest plumes 
of the bird of paradise, and even the silken trap- 
pings of her palfrey, which swept the ground, were 
covered with pearls and precious stones. As 
this brilliant cavalcade crossed the bridge of the 
Tagus, all Toledo poured forth to behold it, and 
nothnig was heard throughout the city but praises 
of the wonderful beauty of the princess of Al- 
giers. King Roderick came forth, attended by 
the chivalry of his court, to receive the royal 
captive. His recent voluptuous life had disposed 
him for tender and amorous affections, and at the 
first sight of the beautiful Elyata he was enrap- 
tured with her charms. Seeing her face clouded 
with sorrow and anxiety, he soothed her with 
gentle and courteous words, and, conducting her 
to a royal palace, " Behold," said he, " thy habita- 
tion, where no one shall molest thee ; consider 
thyself at home in the mansion of thy father, and 
dispose of anything according to thy will." 

Here the princess passed her time with the 
female attendants who had accompanied her from 
Algiers ; and no one but the king was permitted 
to visit her, who daily became more and more 
enamored of his lovely captive, and sought by 
tender assiduity to gain her affections. The dis- 
tress of the princess at her captivity was soothed 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 17 

by this gentle treatment. She was of an age 
when sorrow cannot long hold sway over the 
heart. Accompanied by her youthful attendants 
she ranged the spacious apartments of the palace, 
and sported among the groves and alleys of its 
garden. Every day the remembrance of the 
paternal home grew less and less painful, and the 
king became more and more amiable in her eyes ; 
and when at length he offered to share his heart 
and throne with her, she listened with downcast 
looks and kindling blushes, but with an air of 
resignation. 

One obstacle remained to the complete fruition 
of the monarch's wishes, and this w^as the reliojion 
of the princess. Roderick forthwith employed 
the archbishop of Toledo to instruct the beauti- 
ful Elyata in the mysteries of the Christian faith. 
The female intellect is quick in perceiving the 
merits of new doctrines ; the archbishop, there- 
fore, soon succeeded in converting, not merely 
the princess, but most of her attendants, and a 
day was appointed for their public baptism. The 
ceremony Avas performed with great pomp and 
solemnity, in the presence of all the nobility and 
chivalry of the court. The princess and her 
damsels, clad in white, walked on foot to the 
cathedral, while numerous beautiful children, ar- 
rayed as angels, strewed their path with flowers ; 
and the archbishop meeting them at the portal, 
received them, as it were, into the bosom of the 
church. The princess abandoned her Moorish 
appellation of Elyata, and was baptized by the 



18 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 

name of Exilona, by which she was thenceforth 
called, and has generally been known in history. 

The nuptials of Roderick and the beautiful 
convert took place shortly afterwards, and were 
celebrated with great magnificence. There were 
jousts, and tourneys, and banquets, and other 
rejoicings, which lasted twenty days, and were 
attended by the principal nobles from all parts 
of Spain. After these were over, such of the 
attendants of the princess as refused to embrace 
Christianity, and desired to return to Africa, were 
dismissed with munificent presents ; and an em- 
bassy was sent to the king of Algiers, to inform 
him of the nuptials of his daughter, and to proffer 
him the friendship of Eang Roderick.-^ 

1 "Como esta Infanta era muy hermosa, y el Eey [Don 
Rodrigo] dispuesta y gen til hornbre, entro por medio el amor 
y aficion, y junto con el regalo con que la avia mandado hos- 
pedar y servir ful causa que el rey persuadio esta Infanta. que 
si se tornava a su ley de christiano la tomaria por muger, y 
que la haria seiiora de sus Keynos. Con esta persuasion ella 
fue contenta, y aviendose vuelto Christiana, se caso con ella, y 
se celebraron sus bodas con muchas fiestas y regozijos, como 
era razon." — Abulcassim, Conq'st de Espan, cap. 3. 




CHAPTER IV. 

Of Count Julian. 

10 R a time Don Roderick lived happily 
I with his young and beautiful queen, and 
Toledo was the seat of festivity and 
splendor. The principal nobles throughout the 
kingdom repaired to his court to pay him homage, 
and to receive his commands ; and none were 
more devoted in their reverence than those who 
were obnoxious to suspicion from their connection 
with the late king. 

Among the foremost of these was Count Julian, 
a man destined to be infamously renowned in the 
dark story of his country's woes. He was one of 
the proudest Gothic families, lord of Consuegra 
and Algeziras, and connected by marriage with 
Witiza and the bishop Oppas — his wife, the 
countess Frandina, being their sister. In conse- 
quence of this connection, and of his own merits, 
he had enjoyed the highest dignities and com- 
mands, being one of the Espatorios, or royal 
sword-bearers — an office of the greatest confi- 
dence about the person of the sovereign.^ He had, 
moreover, been intrusted with the military govern- 

1 Condes Espatorios; so called from the drawn swords of 
ample size and breadth with which they kept guard in the 
ante- chambers of the Gothic kings. Comes Spathariorura, 
custodum corporis Regis Profectus. Hunc et Propospatha 
rium appellatum existimo. — Fair. Pant, de Ojjic. Goth 



20 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

ment of the Spanish possessions on the African 
coast of the strait, which at that time were threat- 
ened by the Arabs of the East, the followers of 
Mahomet, who were advancing their victorious 
standard to the extremity of Western Africa. 
Count Julian established his seat of government 
at Ceuta, the frontier bulwark, and one of the far- 
famed gates of the Mediterranean Sea. Here he 
boldly faced, and held in check, the torrent of 
Moslem invasion. 

Don Julian was a man of an active, but irreg- 
ular genius, and a grasping ambition ; he had a 
love for power and grandeur, in which he was 
joined by his haughty countess ; and they could 
ill brook the downfall of their house, as threat- 
ened by the fate of Witiza. They had hastened 
therefore to pay their court to the newly elevated 
monarch, and to assure him of their fidelity to his 
interests. 

Roderick was readily persuaded of the sincerity 
of Count Julian ; he was aware of Ms merits as a 
soldier and a governor, and continued him in his 
important command ; honoring him with many 
other marks of implicit confidence. Count Julian 
sought to confirm this confidence by every proof of 
devotion. It was a custom among the Goths to 
rear many of the children of the most illustrious 
families in the royal household. They served 
as pages to the king, and handmaids and ladies 
of honor to the queen, and were instructed in all 
manner of accomplishments befitting their gentle 
blood. When about to depart for Ceuta, to 
resume his command, Don Julian brought his 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 21 

daughter Florinda to present her to the sovereigns. 
She was a beautiful virgin that had not as yet 
attained to w Dmanhood. " I confide her to your 
protection, " said he to the king, " to be unto her 
as a father ; and to have her trained in the paths 
of virtue. I can leave with you no dearer pledge 
of my loyalty." 

King Roderick received the timid and blushing 
maiden into his parental care ; promising to 
watch over her happiness with a parent's eye, and 
that she should be enrolled among the most 
cherished attendants of the queen. With this 
assurance of the welfare of his child, Count 
Julian departed, well pleased, for his government 
at Ceuta. 






CHAPTER V. 

The Story of Florinda. 

I HE beautiful daughter of Count Julian 
was received with great favor by the 
queen Exilona and admitted among the 
noble damsels that attended upon her person. 
Here she lived in honor and apparent security, 
and surrounded by innocent delights. To gratify 
his queen, Don Roderick had built for her rural 
recreation a palace without the walls of Toledo, 
on the banks of the Tagus. It stood in the midst 
of a garden, adorned after the luxurious style of 
the East. The air was perfumed by fragrant 
shrubs and flowers ; the groves resounded with the 
song of the nightingale, while the gush of fountains 
and water-falls, and the distant murmur of the 
Tagus, made it a delightful retreat during the 
sultry days of summer. The charm of perfect 
privacy also reigned throughout the place, for the 
garden walls were high, and numerous guards 
kept watch without to protect it from all intrusion. 
Iv this delicious abode, more befitting an 
oriental voluptuary than a Gothic king, Don 
Roderick was accustomed to while away much of 
that time which should have been devoted to the 
toilsome cares of government. The very security 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 23 

and peace which he had produced throughout his 
dominions by his precautions to abolish the means 
and habitudes of war, had effected a disastrous 
change in his character. The hardy and heroic 
qualities which had conducted him to the throne, 
were softened in the lap of indulgence. Sur- 
rounded by the pleasures of an idle and effeminate 
court, and beguiled by the example of his de- 
generate nobles, he gave way to a fatal sensuality 
that had lain dormant in his nature during the 
virtuous days of his adversity. The mere love 
of female beauty had first enamored him of 
Exilona, and the same passion, fostered by volup- 
tuous idleness, now betrayed him into the commis- 
sion of an act fatal to himself and Spain. The 
following is the story of his error as gathered 
from an old chronicle and lecrend. 

In a remote part of the palace was an apart-_ 
ment devoted to the queen. It was like an eastern 
harem, shut up from the foot of man, and where 
the king himself but rarely entered. It had its 
own courts, and gardens, and fountains, where 
the queen was wont to recreate herself with her 
damsels, as she had been accustomed to do in the 
jealous privacy of her father's palace. 

One sultry day the king, instead of taking his 
siesta, or mid-day slumber, repaired to this apart- 
ment to seek the society of the queen. In pass- 
ing through a small oratory, he was drawn by the 
^ound of female voices to a casement overhung 
with myrtles and jessamines. It looked into an 
interior garden or court, set out with orange-trees, 
in the midst of which was a marble fountain, 



24: TEE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

surrounded by a grassy bank, enameled with 
flowers. 

It was the high noontide of a summer day 
ivhen, in sultry Spain, the landscape trembles to 
Ae eye, and all nature seeks repose, except the 
grasshopper, that pipes his lulling note to the 
herdsman as he sleeps beneath the shade. 

Around the fountain w^ere several of the damsels 
of the queen, who, confident of the sacred privacy 
of the place, were yielding in that cool retreat to 
the indulgence prompted by the season and the 
hour. Some lay asleep on the flowery bank ; 
others sat on the margin of the fountain, talking 
and laughing, as they bathed their feet in its limpid 
waters, and King Roderick beheld delicate limbs 
shining through the wave that might rival the 
marble in whiteness. 

Among the damsels was one who had come from 
ihe Barbary coast with the queen. Her com- 
plexion had the dark tinge of Mauritania, but it 
was clear and transparent, and the deep rich rose 
blushed through the lovely brown. Her eyes 
were black and full of fire, and flashed from under 
/ong silken eyelashes. 

A sportive contest arose among the maidens, as 
to the comparative beauty of the Spanish and 
Moorish forms ; but the Mauritanian damsel re- 
vealed limbs of voluptuous symmetry that seemed 
to defy all rivalry. 

The Spanish beauties were on the point of 
giving up the contest, when they bethought them- 
selves of the young Florinda, the daughter of 
Count Julian, who lay on the grassy bank, aban- 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 25 

ioned to a summer slumber. The soft glow of 
youth and health mantled on her cheek ; her 
fringed eyelashes scarcely covered their sleeping 
orbs ; her moist and ruby lips were slightly parted, 
just revealing a gleam of her ivory teeth, while 
her innocent bosom rose and fell beneath her 
bodice, like the gentle swelling and sinking of a 
tranquil sea. There was a breathing tenderness 
and beauty in the sleeping virgin, that seemed to 
send forth sweetness like the flowers around her. 

" Behold," cried her companions exultingly, 
" the champion of Spanish beauty ! " 

In their playful eagerness they half disrobed 
the innocent Florinda before she was aware. She 
awoke in time, however, to escape from their busy 
hands ; but enough of her charms had been re- 
vealed to convince the monarch that they were 
not to be rivaled by the rarest beauties of 
Mauritania. 

From this day the heart of Roderick was in- 
flamed with a fatal passion. He gazed on the 
beautiful Florinda with fervid desire, and sought 
to read in her looks whether there was levity or 
wantonness in her bosom ; but the eye of the 
damsel ever sunk beneath his gaze, and remainec' 
bent on the earth in virgin modesty. 

In vain he called to mind the sacred trust re- 
posed in him by Count Julian, and the promise 
he had given to watch over his daughter with 
paternal care ; his heart was vitiated by sensual 
indulgence, and the consciousness of power had 
rendered him selflsh in his gratifications. 

Beins: one evenino; in the orardeu where the 



26 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

queen was diverting herself with her damsels, and 
coming to the fountain where he had beheld the 
innocent maidens at their sport, he could no longer 
restrain the passion raging within his breast. 
Seating himself beside the fountain, he called Flo- 
rin da to draw forth a thorn which had pierced his 
hand. The maiden knelt at his feet to examine 
his hand, and the touch of her slender fingers 
thrilled through his veins. As she knelt, too, her 
amber locks fell in rich ringlets about her beauti- 
ful head, her innocent bosom palpitated beneath 
the crimson bodice, and her timid blushes increased 
the effulgence of her charms. 

Having examined the monarch's hand in vain, 
she looked up in his face with artless perplexity. 

" Sefior," said she, " I can find no thorn nor 
any sign of wound." 

Don Roderick grasped her hand and pressed 
it to his heart. " It is here, lovely Florinda ! " 
said he ; " it is here ! and thou alone canst pluck 
it forth ! " 

" My lord ! " exclaimed the blushing and as- 
tonished maiden. 

" Florinda ! " said Don Roderick, " dost thou 
love me ? " 

" Senor," said she, " my father taught me to 
love and reverence you. He confided me to your 
care as one who would be as a parent to me, 
when he should be far distant, serving your 
majesty with life and loyalty. May God incline 
your majesty ever to protect me as a father." 
So saying, the maiden dropped her eyes to the 
ground, and cortinued kneeling ; but her coun- 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 27 

tenance had become deadly pale, and as slie knelt 
she trembled. 

" Florinda," said the king, '' either thou dost 
not, or thou wilt not, understand me. I would 
have thee love me, not as a father, nor as a mon- 
arch, but as one who adores thee. Why dost 
thou start? No one shall know our loves ; and, 
moreover, the love of a monarch inflicts no deg- . 
radation like the love of a common man ; riches 
and honors attend upon it. I will advance thee 
to rank and dignity, and place thee above the 
proudest females of my court. Thy father, too, 
shall be more exalted and endowed than any 
noble in my realm." 

The soft eye of Florinda kindled at these 
words. " Senor," said she, " the line I spring 
from can receive no dignity by means so vile ; 
and my father would rather die than purchase 
rank and power by the dishonor of his child. 
But I see," continued she, "- that your majesty 
speaks in this manner only to try me. You may 
have thought me light and simple, and unworthy 
to attend upon the queen. I pray your majesty 
to pardon me, that I have taken your pleasantry 
in such serious part." 

In this way the agitated maiden sought to 
evade the addresses of the monarch, but still her 
cheek was blanched, and her lip quivered as she 
spake. 

The king pressed her hand to his lips with 
fervor. " May ruin seize me," cried he, " If I 
speak to prove thee. My heart, my kingdom, 
are at tliy command. Only be mine, and thou 



28 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

shalt rule absolute mistress of myself and my do- 
mains." 

The damsel rose from the earth where she had 
hitherto knelt, and her whole countenance glowed 
with virtuous indignation. "My lord," said she, 
" I am your subject, and in your power ; take my 
life if it be your pleasure, but nothing shall 
tempt me to commit a crime which would be 
treason to the queen, disgrace to my father, agony 
to my mother, and perdition to myself" With 
these words she left the garden, and the king, for 
the moment, was too much awed by her indig- 
nant virtue to oppose her departure. 

We shall pass briefly over the succeeding 
events of the story of Florinda, about which so 
much has been said and sung by chronicler and 
bard ; for the sober page of history should be 
carefully chastened from all scenes that might in- 
flame a wanton imagination — leaving them to 
poems and romances, and such like highly sea- 
soned works of fantasy and recreation. 

Let it suffice to say that Don Roderick pursued 
his suit to the beautiful Florinda, his passion 
being more and more inflamed by the resistance 
of the virtuous damsel. At length, forgetting 
what was due to helpless beauty, to his own 
honor as a knight, and his word as a sovereign, he 
triumphed over her weakness by base and un- 
manly violence. 

There are not wanting those who affirm that 
the hapless Florinda lent a yielding ear to the 
solicitations of the monarch, and her name has 
been treated with opprobri'im in several of the 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 29 

ancient chronicles and legendary ballads that have 
transmitted, from generation to generation, the 
story of the woes of Spain. In very truth, how- 
ever, she appears to have been a guiltless victim, 
resisting as far as helpless female could resist, the 
arts and intrigues of a powerful monarch, who 
had nauo^ht to cheek the indultrence of his will, 
and bewailing her disgrace with a poignancy that 
shows how dearly she had prized her honor. 

In the first paroxysm of her grief she wrote a 
letter to her father, blotted with her tears and 
almost incoherent from her agitation. " Would to 
God, my father," said she, '' that the earth had 
opened and swallowed me ere I had been reduced 
to write these lines. I blush to tell thee, what it 
is not proper to conceal. Alas, my father ! thou 
hast intrusted thy lamb to the guardianship of the 
lion. Thy daughter has been dishonored, the royal 
cradle of the Goths polluted, and our lineage in- 
sulted and disgraced. Hasten, my father, to res- 
cue your child from the power of the spoiler, and 
to vindicate the honor of your house." 

When Florinda had written these lines she 
summoned a youthful esquire who had been a page 
in the service of her father. " Saddle thy steed," 
said she, " and if thou dost aspire to knightly 
honor, or hope for lady's grace ; if thou hast 
fealty for thy lord, or devotion to his daughter, 
speed swiftly upon my errand. Rest not, halt 
not, spare not the spur, but hie thee day and 
night until thou reach the sea ; take the lirst 
bark, and haste with sail and oar to Ceuta, nor 
pause until thoir give this letter to the count my 



30 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 



father." The youth put the letter in his bosom. 
'^ Trust me, lady," said he " I will neither halt, 
nor turn aside, nor cast a look behind, until I 
reach Count Julian." He mounted his fleet 
steed, sped his way across the bridge, and soon 
left behind him the verdant valley of the Tagus. 




CHAPTER VI. 



Don Roderick receives an Extraordinary Embassy. 




HE heart of Don Roderick was Dot so 
depraved by sensuality, but that the 
wrong he had been guilty of toward the 
innocent Florinda, and the disgrace he had in- 
flicted on her house, weighed heavy on his spirits, 
and a cloud began to gatFier on his once clear and 
unwrinkled brow. 

Heaven at this time, say the old Spanish 
chronicles, permitted a marvelous intimation of 
the wrath with which it intended to visit the 
monarch and his people, in punishment of their 
sins ; nor are we, say the same orthodox writers, 
to startle and withhold our faith when we meet in 
the page of discreet and sober history with these 
signs and po tents, which transcend the probabil- 
ities of ordinary life; for the revolutions of 
empires and the downfalls of mighty kings are 
awful events, that shake the physical as well as 
the moral world, and are often announced by fore- 
running marvels and prodigious omens. 

With such like cautious preliminaries do the 
wary but credulous historiographers of yore usher 
in a marvelous event of prophecy and enchant- 
ment, linked in ancient story with the fortunes of 
Don E-oderick, but which modern doubters would 



82 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 

fain hold up as an apocryphal tradition of Ara 
bian origin. 

Now, so it happened, according to the legend, 
that about this time, as King Roderick was seated 
one day on his throne, surrounded by his nobles, in 
the ancient city of Toledo, two men of venerable 
appearance entered the hall of audience. Their 
snowy beards descended to their breasts, and 
their gray hairs were bound with ivy. They 
were arrayed in white garments of foreign or 
antiquated fashion, which swept the ground, and 
were cintured with girdles, wrought with the 
signs of the zodiac, from which were suspended 
enormous bunches of keys of every variety of form. 
Having approached the throne and made obei- 
sance, — " Know, king, " said one of the old 
men, " that in days of yore, when Hercules of 
Lybia, surnamed the Strong, had set up his pil- 
lars at the ocean strait, he erected a tower near 
to this ancient city of Toledo. He built it of 
prodigious strength, and finished it with magic art, 
shutting up within it a fearful secret, never to be 
penetrated without peril and disaster. To pro- 
tect this terrible mystery he closed the entrance 
to the edifice with a ponderous door of iron, se- 
cured by a great lock of steel, and he left a com- 
mand that every king who should succeed him 
should add another lock to the portal ; denouncing 
woe and destruction on him who should eventually 
unfold the secret of the tower. 

" The guardianship of the portal was given to 
our ancestors, and has continued in our family, 
from generation to generation, since the days of 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 33 

Hercules. Several kin^^s, from time to time, have 
caused the gate to be thrown open, and have at- 
tempted to enter, but have paid dearly for their 
temerity. Some have perished within the thresh- 
old ; others have been overwhelmed with horror 
at tremendous sounds, which shook the founda- 
tions of the earth, and have hastened to reclose 
the door and secure it with its thousand locks. 
Thus, since the days of Hercules, the inmost 
recesses of the pile have never been penetrated 
by mortal man, and a profound mystery continues 
to pi'evail over this great enchantment. This, O 
king, is all we have to relate ; and our errand is 
to entreat thee to repair to the tower and affix 
thy lock to the portal, as has been done by all thy 
predecessors." Having thus said, the ancient men 
made a profound reverence and departed from 
the presence-chamber.^ 

Don Roderick remained for some time lost in 
thought after the departure of the men ; he then 
dismissed all his court excepting the venerable 
Urbino, at that time Archbishop of Toledo. The 
long white beard of this prelate bespoke his ad- 
vanced age, and his overhanging eyebrows showed 
him a man full of wary counsel. 

" Father, " said the king, " I have an earnest 
desire to penetrate the mystery of this tower." 
The worthy prelate shook his hoary head. " Be- 
^^are, my son, " said he ; " there are secrets hidden 
from man for his good. Your predecessors for 

1 Perdidade EspaTia, por Abulcadm Tarif Abentarique, L. 1, 
c. 6. Cronica del Ray Don Rodiigo^ por el Moro Rasis, L. 1, c. 
1. Bleda, Cron. cap. vii. 

a 



34 THE LEGEND OF VON RODERICK. 

many generations have respected this mystery, 
and have increased in might and empire. A 
knowledge of it, therefore, is not material to the 
welfare of your kingdom. Seek not then to in- 
dulge a rash and unprofitable curiosity, which is 
interdicted under such awful menaces." 

" Of what importance," cried the king, " are 
the menaces of Hercules the Libyan ? was he not 
a pagan ? and can his enchantments have aught 
avail against a believer in our holy faith ? Doubt- 
less in this tower are locked up treasures of gold 
and jewels, amassed in days of old, the spoils of 
mighty kings, the riches of the pagan world. My 
coffers are exhausted ; I have need of supply ; 
and surely it would be an acceptable act in the 
eyes of Heaven to draw forth this wealth which 
lies buried under profane and necromantic spells, 
and consecrate it to religious purposes." 

The venerable archbishop still continued to 
remonstrate, but Don Roderick heeded not his 
counsel, for he was led on by his malignant star. 
" Father, " said he, " it is in vain you attempt to 
dissuade me. My resolution is fixed. To-mor- 
row I will explore the hidden mystery, or rather 
the hidden treasures, of this tower." 




CHAPTER VII. 

Story of the Marvelous and Portentous Tower. 

I HE morning sun shone brightly upon the 
cliff-built towers of Toledo, when King 
Roderick issued out of the gate of the 
city at the head of a numerous train of courtiers 
and cavaliers, and crossed the bridge that bestrides 
the deep rocky bed of the Tagus. The shining 
cavalcade wound up the road that leads among 
the mountains, and soon came in sight of the 
necromantic tower. 

Of this renowned edifice marvels are related 
by the ancient Arabian and Spanish chroniclers, 
'' and I doubt much," adds the venerable Agapida, 
" whether many readers will not consider the 
w hole as a cunningly devised fable, sprung from 
an Oriental imagination ; but it is not for me to 
reject a fact which is recorded by all those writers 
who are the fathers of our national history ; a fact 
too, which is as well attested as most of the re- 
markable events in the story of Don Roderick. 
None but light and inconsiderate minds," continues 
the good friar, " do hastily reject the marvelous. 
To the thinking mind the whole world is enveloped 
m mystery, and everything is full of type and 
portent. To such a mind the r ecromantic tower 



36 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

of Toledo will appear as one of those wondrous 
monuments of the olden time ; one of those Egyp- 
tian and Chaldaic piles, storied with hidden 
wisdom and mystic prophecy, which have been 
devised in past ages, when man yet enjoyed an 
intercourse with high and spiritual natures, and 
when human foresight partook of divination." 

This singular tower was round and of great 
height and grandeur, erected upon a lofty rock; 
and surrounded by crags and precipices. The 
foundation was supported by four brazen lions, 
each taller than a cavalier on horseback. The 
walls were built of small pieces of jasper and 
various colored marbles, not larger than a man's 
hand ; so subtilely joined, however, that, but for 
their different hues, they might be taken for one 
entire stone. They were arranged with marvel- 
ous cunning, so as to represent battles and war- 
like deeds of times and heroes long since passed 
away, and the whole surface was so admirably 
polished that the stones were as lustrous as glass, 
and reflected the rays of the sun with such re- 
splendent brightness as to dazzle all beholders.^ 

King Roderick and his courtiers arrived won- 
dering and amazed at the foot of the rock. Here 
there was a narrow arched way cut through the 
living stone, the only entrance to the tower. It 
was closed by a massive iron gate, covered with 
rusty locks of divers workmanship and in the 
fashion of different centuries, which had been 

1 From the minute account of the good friar, drawn from 
the ancient chronicles, it would appear that the walls of the 
tower were pictured in mosaic work. 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, Sv 

affixed by the predecessors of Don Roderick. 
On either side of the portal stood the two ancient 
guardians of the tower, laden with the keys ap- 
pertaining to the locks. 

The king alighted, and approaching the portals, 
ordered the guardians to unlock the gate. The 
hoary headed men drew back with terror. " Alas ! " 
cried they, '^ what is it your majesty requires of 
us ? Would you have the mischiefs of this tower 
unbound, and let loose to shake the earth to its 
foundations ? " 

The venerable Archbishop Urbino likewise im- 
plored him not to disturb a mystery which had 
been held sacred from generation to generation 
within the memory of man, and which even Cae- 
sar himself, when sovereign of Spain, had not ven- 
tured to invade. The youthful cavaliers, how- 
ever, were eager to pursue the adventure, and 
encouraged him in his rash curiosity. 

" Come what come may," exclaimed Don Rod- 
erick, " I am resolved to penetrate the mystery 
of this tower. " So saying, he again commanded 
the guardians to unlock the portal. The ancient 
men obeyed with fear and trembling, but their 
hands shook with age, and when they applied the 
keys the locks were so rusted by time, or of such 
strange workmanship, that they resisted their 
feeble efforts, whereupon the young cavaliers 
pressed forward and lent their aid. Still the 
locks were so numerous and difficult, that with 
,all their eagerness and strength a great part of 
the day was exhausted before the whole of them 
could be mastered. 



88 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

When the last bolt had yielded to the key, tho 
guardians and the reverend archbishop again en- 
treated the king to pause and reflect. " What- 
ever is within this tower," said they, " is as yet 
harmless, and lies bound under a mighty spell ; 
venture not then to open a door which may let 
forth a flood of evil upon the land." But the 
anger of the king was roused, and he ordered 
that the portal should be instantly thrown open. 
In vain, however, did one after another exert his 
strength, and equally in vain did the cavaliers 
unite their forces, and apply their shoulders to 
the gate ; though there was neither bar nor bolt 
remaining, it was perfectly immovable. 

The patience of the king was now exhausted, 
and he advanced to apply his hand; scarcely, 
however, did he touch the iron gate, when it 
swung slowly open, uttering, as it were, a dismal 
groan, as it turned reluctantly upon its hinges. 
A cold, damp wind issued forth, accompanied by 
a tempestuous sound. The hearts of the ancient 
guardians quaked within them, and their knees 
smote together ; but several of the youthful cava- 
liers rushed in, eager to gratify their curiosity, 
or to signalize themselves in this redoubtable 
enterprise. They had scarcely advanced a few 
paces, however, when they recoiled, overcome by 
the baleful air, or by some fearful vision.^ Upon 
this, the king ordered that fires should be kindled 
to dispel the darkness, and to correct the noxious 
and long-imprisoned air ; he then led the way , 
into the interior ; but, though stout of heart, he 
advanced with awe and hesitation. 
1 B'eda, Cronlca, cap. 7. 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 39 

After proceeding a short distance, he entered a 
hall or ante-chamber, on the opposite side of 
wliich was a door, and before it, on a pedestal 
stood a gigantic figure, of the coloi of bronze 
and of a terrible aspect. It held a huge mace, 
which it whirled incessantly, giving such cruel 
and resounding blows upon the earth as to pre- 
vent all further entrance. 

The king paused at sight of this appalling 
figure, for whether it were a living being, or a 
statue of magic artifice, he could not tell. On its 
breast was a scroll, whereon was inscribed, in 
large letters, " I do my duty." ^ After a little 
while. Roderick plucked up heart, and addressed 
it with great solemnity. "Whatever thou be," 
said he, "know that I come not to violate this 
sanctuary, but to inquire into the mystery it con- 
tains ; I conjure thee, therefore, to let me pass in 
safety." 

Upon this the figure paused with uplifted 
mace, and the king and his train passed unmo- 
lested through the door. 

They now entered a vast chamber, of a rare 
and sumptuous architecture, difficult to be de- 
scribed. The walls were in crusted with the most 
precious gems, so joined together as to form one 
smooth and perfect surface- The lofty dome ap- 
peared to be self-supported, and was studded with 
gems, lustrous as the stars of the firmament. 
There was neither wood, nor any other common 
j)r base material to be seen throuo^hout the edi- 
See. There were no windows or other openings 
1 Bleda, Cronica^ cap. 7. 



40 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

to admit the day, yet a radiant light was sj ad 
throughout the place which seemed to shine ii'om 
the walls and to render q^qyj object distinctly 
visible. 

In the centre of this hall stood a table of ala- 
baster, of the rarest workmanship, on which was 
inscribed, in Greek characters, that Hercules Al- 
cides, the Theban Greek, had founded this tower 
in the year of the world three thousand and six. 
Upon the table stood a golden casket, lichly set 
round with precious stones, and closed with a lock 
of mother-of-pearl, and on the lid were inscribed 
the following words : — 

" In this coffer is contained the mystery of the 
tower. The hand of none but a king can open 
it ; but let him beware ! for marvelous events 
will be revealed to him, which are to take place 
before his death." 

King Roderick boldly seized upon the casket. 
The venerable archbishop laid his hand upon his 
arm, and made a last remonstrance. " Forbear, 
my son," said he ; " desist while there is yet time. 
Look not into the mysterious decrees of Provi- 
dence. God has hidden them in mercy from our 
sight, and it is impious to rend the veil by which 
they are concealed." 

'* What have I to dread from a knowledge of 
the future ? " replied Roderick, with an air of 
haughty presumption. " If good be destined me 
I shall enjoy it by anticipation ; if evil, I shall 
arm myself to meet it." So saying, he rashly 
broke the lock. 

Within fhe coffer he found nothing but a linen 



FEE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 41 

cloth, folded between two tablets of copper. Ot 
unfolding it, he beheld painted on it figures of 
men on horseback, of fierce demeanor, clad in 
turbans and robes of various colors, after the 
fashion of the Arabs, with scimetars hanging from 
their necks, and cross-bows at their saddle-backs, 
and they carried banners and pennons with divers 
devices. Above them was inscribed, in Greek 
characters, " Rash monarch ! behold the men who 
are to hurl thee from thy throne, and subdue thy 
kingdom ! " 

At sight of these things the king was troubled 
in spirit, and dismay fell upon his attendants. 
While they were yet regarding the paintings, it 
seemed as if the figures began to move, and a 
faint sound of warlike tumult arose from the 
cloth, with the clash of cymbal and bray of trum- 
pet, the neigh of steed and shout of army ; but 
all was heard indistinctly, as if afar off, or in a 
reverie or dream. The more they gazed, the 
plainer became the motion, and the louder tlie 
noise ; and the linen cloth rolled forth, and ampli- 
fied, and spread out, as it were, a mighty banner, 
and filled the hall, and mingled with the air, until 
its texture was no longer visible, or appeared as 
a transparent cloud. And the shadowy figures 
became all in motion, and the din and uproar 
became fiercer and fiercer ; and whether the whole 
were an animated picture, or a vision, or an array 
of embodied spirits, conjured up by supernatural 
power, no one present could tell. They beheld 
before them a great field of battle, where Chris- 
tians and Moslems were engaged in deadly con- 



42 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 

flict. They heard the rush and tramp of steeds, 
the blast of trump and clarion, the clash of cym- 
bal, and the stormy din of a thousand drums. 
There was the clash of swords, and maces, and 
battle-axes, with the whistling of arrows and the 
hurtling of darts and lances. The Christians 
quailed before the foe ; the infidels pressed upon 
them and put them to utter rout ; the standard 
of the cross was cast down, the banner of Spain 
was trodden under foot, the air resounded with 
shouts of triumph, with yells of fury, and with 
the groans of dying men. Amidst the flying 
squadrons King Roderick beheld a crowned war- 
rior, whose back was towards him, but whose 
armor and device were his own, and who was 
mounted on a white steed that resembled his own 
war-horse Orelia. In the confusion of the flight, 
the warrior was dismounted, and was no longer 
to be seen, and Orelia galloped wildly through 
the field of battle without a rider. 

Roderick stayed to see no more, but rushed 
from the fatal hall, followed by his terrified 
attendants. They fled through the outer cham- 
ber, where the gigantic figure with the whirling 
mace had disappeared from his pedestal, and, on 
issuing into the open air, they found the two 
ancient guardians of the tower lying dead at the 
portal, as though they had been crushed by some 
mighty blow. All nature, which had been clear 
and serene, was now in wild uproar. The hea- 
vens were darkened by heavy clouds ; loud bursts 
j)f thunder rent the air, and the earth was deluged 
witV rain ctnd rattling hail. 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 43 

The king ordered that the iron portal should 
be closed, but the door was immovable, and the 
cavaliers were dismayed by the tremendous tur- 
moil and the mingled shouts and groans that con- 
tinued to prevail within. The king and his train 
hastened back to Toledo, pursued and pelted by 
the tempest. The mountains shook and echoed 
with the thunder, trees were uprooted and blown 
down, and the Tagus raged and roared and flowed 
above its banks. It seemed to the affrighted 
courtiers as if the phantom legions of the tower 
had issued forth and mingled with the storm ; for 
amidst the claps of thunder and the howling of 
the wind, they fancied they heard the sound of 
the drums and trumpets, the shouts of armies, 
and the rush of steeds. Thus beaten by tempest 
and overwhelmed with horror, the king and his 
courtiers arrived at Toledo, clattering across the 
bridge of the Tagus, and entering the gate in 
headlong confusion, as though they had been pur- 
sued by an enemy. 

In the morning the heavens were again serene, 
and all nature was restored to tranquillity. The 
king, therefore, issued forth with his cavaliers, 
and took the road to the tower, followed by a 
great multitude, for he was anxious once more to 
close the iron door, and shut up those evils that 
threatened to overwhelm the land. But lo ! on 
coming in sight of the tower, a new wonder met 
their eyes. An eagle appeared high in the air, 
seemmo: to descend from heaven. He bore in 
his beak a burning brand, and, lighting on the 
summit of the tower, fanned the lire with his 
winofs. In a little while the edifice burst forth 



44 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

into a blaze, as though it had been built of rosin, 
and the flames mounted into the air with a bril- 
liancy more dazzling than the sun ; nor did they 
cease until every stone was consumed, and the 
whole was reduced to a heap of ashes. Then 
there came a vast flight of birds, small of size 
and sable of hue, darkening the sky like a cloud ; 
and they descended, and wheeled in circles round 
the ashes, causing so great a wind with their 
wings that the whole was borne up into the air, 
and scattered throughout all Spain, and wherever 
a particle of that ashes fell it was as a stain of 
blood. It is furthermore recorded by ancient 
men and writers of former days, that all those 
on whom this dust fell were afterwards slain iu 
battle, when the country was conquered by the 
Arabs, and that the destruction of this necroman- 
tic tower was a sign and token of the approach- 
ing perdition of Spain. 

" Let all those," concludes the cautious friar, 
" who question the verity of this most marvelous 
occurrence, consult those admirable sources of our 
history, the chronicle of the Moor Rasis, and the 
work entitled " The Fall of Spain," written by 
the Moor Abulcasim Tarif Abentarique. Let 
them consult, moreover, the venerable historian 
Bleda, and the cloud of other Catholic Spanish 
writers who have treated of this event, and they 
will find I have related nothing that has not been 
printed and published under the inspection and 
sanction of our holy mother Church. God alone 
knoweth the truth of these things ; I speak 
nothing but what has been handed down to me 
from times of old." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Count Julian. — His Fortunes in Africa. — He hears of the 
Dishonor of his Child. — His Conduct thereupon. 




I HE course of our legendary narration 
now returns to notice the fortunes of 
Count Julian, after his departure from 
Toledo, to resume his government on the coast 
of Barbary. He left the Countess Frandina at 
Algeziras, his paternal domain, for the province 
under his command was threatened with invasion. 
In fact, when he arrived at Ceuta he found his 
post in imminent danger from the all-conquering 
Moslems. The Arabs of the East, the followers 
of Mahomet, having subjugated several of the 
most potent Oriental kingdoms, had established 
their seat of empire at Damascus, where at this 
time it was filled by Waled Almanzor, surnamed 
" The Sword of God." From thence the tide 
of Moslem conquest had rolled on to the shores 
of the Atlantic, so that all Almagreb, or Western 
Africa, had submitted to the standard of the 
Prophet, with the exception of a portion of 
Tingitania, lying along the straits, — being the 
province held by the Goths of Spain, and com- 
manded by Count Julian. The Arab invaders 
were a hundred thousand stronef, most of them 



4G THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 

veteran troops, seasoned in warfare and accustomed 
to victory. They were led by an old Arab gen- 
eral, Muza ben Nosier, to whom was confided the 
government of Almagreb, — most of which he 
had himself conquered. The ambition of this vet- 
eran was to make the Moslem conquest complete, 
by expelling the Christians from the African shores ; 
with this view his troops menaced the few remain- 
ing Gothic fortresses of Tingitania, while he him- 
self sat down in person before the walls of Ceuta. 
The Arab chieftain had been rendered confident 
by continual success, and thought nothing could 
resist his arms and the sacred standard of the 
Prophet. Impatient of the tedious delays of a 
siege, he led his troops boldly against the rock- 
built towers of Ceuta, and attempted to take the 
place by storm. The onset was fierce, and the 
struggle desperate : the swarthy sons of the desert 
were light and vigorous, and of fiery spirit ; but 
the Goths, inured to danger on this frontier, re- 
tained the stubboi'n valor of their race, so im- 
paired among their brethren in Spain. They 
were commanded, too, by one skilled in warfare 
and ambitious of renown. After a vehement con- 
flict, the Moslem assailants were repulsed from all 
points, and driven from the walls. Don Julian 
sallied forth and harass-ed them in their retreat, 
and so severe was the carnage that the veteran 
Muza was fain to break up his camp and retire 
confounded from the siege. 

The victory at Ceuta resounded throughout 
Tingitania, and spread universal joy On every 
side were heard shouts of exidtation, mingled with 



THE LEGEND OF BON RODERICK. 47 

praises of Count Julian. He was iTailed by the 
people, wherever he went, as their deliverer, and 
blessings were invoked upon his head. The heart 
of Count Julian was lifted up, and his spirit 
swelled within him ; but it was with noble and 
virtuous pride, for he was conscious of having 
merited the blessings of his country. 

In the midst of his exultation, and while the 
rejoicings of the people were yet sounding in his 
ears, the page arrived who bore the letter from 
his unfortunate dausfhter. 

" What tidings from the king ? '*' said the count, 
as the page knelt before him. " None, my lord,'' 
replied the youth ; " but I bear a letter sent in all 
haste by the l^ady Florinda." 

He took the letter from his bosom and pre- 
sented it to his lord. As Count Julian read it, his 
countenance darkened and fell. " This," said he, 
bitterly, " is my reward for serving a tyrant ; and 
these are the honors heaped on me by my country 
while fighting its battles in a foreign land. May 
evil overtake me, and infamy rest upon my name, 
if I cease until I have full measure of revenge." 

Count Julian was vehement in his passions, and 
took no counsel in his wrath. His spirit was 
haughty in the extreme, but destitute of true 
magnanimity, and when once wounded, turned to 
gall and venom. A dark and malignant hatred 
entered into his soul, not only against Don Rod- 
erick, but against all Spain ; he looked upon it 
as the scene of his disgrace, a land in which his 
family was dishonored, and, in seeking to revenge 
the v'rongs he had suffered from his sovereign, he 



48 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

meditated against his native country one of the 
blackest schemes of treason that ever entered into 
the human heart. 

The plan of Count Julian was to hurl King 
Roderick from his throne, and to deliver all Spain 
into the hands of the infidels. In concerting and 
executing this treacherous plot, it seemed as if 
his whole nature was changed ; every lofty and 
generous sentiment was stifled, and he stooped to 
the meanest dissimulation. His first object was, 
to extricate his family from the power of the king 
and to remove it from Spain before his treason 
should be known ; his next, to deprive the country 
of its remaining means of defense against an in- 
vader. 

With these dark purposes at heart, but with 
an open and serene countenance, he crossed to 
Spain and repaired to the court at Toledo. 
Wherever he came he was hailed with acclama- 
tion as a victorious general, and appeared in the 
presence of his sovereign radiant with the vic- 
tory at Ceuta. Concealing from King Roderick 
his knowledge of the outrage upon his house, he 
professed nothing but the most devoted loyalty 
and affection. 

The king loaded him with favors ; seeking to 
appease his own conscience by heaping honors 
upon the father in atonement of the deadly 
wrong inflicted upon his child. He regarded 
Count Julian, also, as a man able and experienced 
in warfare, and took his advice in all matters 
relating to the military affairs of the kingdom. 
The count magnified the dangers that threatened 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 49 

the frontier under his command, and prevailed 
upon the king to send thither the best horses and 
arms remaining from the time of Witiza, there 
being no need of them in the centre of Spain, 
in its present tranquil state. The residue, at his 
suggestion, was stationed on the frontiers of 
Gallia ; so that the kingdom was left almost 
wholly without defense against any sudden irrup- 
tion from the south. 

Having thus artfully arranged his plans, and 
all things being prepared for his return to Africa, 
he obtained permission to withdraw his daughter 
from the court, and leave her with her mother, 
the Countess Frandina, who, he pretended, lay 
dangerously ill at Algeziras. Count Julian issued 
out of the gate of the city, followed by a shining 
band of chosen followers, while beside him, on a 
palfrey, rode the pale and weeping Florinda. The 
populace hailed and blessed him as he passed, but 
his heart turned from them with loathing. As 
he crossed the bridge of the Tao^us he looked 
back with a dark brow upon Toledo, and raised 
his mailed hand and shook it at the royal palace 
of King Roderick, which crested the rocky height. 
" A father's curse," said he, " be upon thee and 
thine ! may desolation fall upon thy dwelling, an^ 
confusion and defeat upon thy realm ! " 

In his journeyings through the country, he 
looked round him with a malignant eye : the pipe 
of the shepherd and the song of the husbandman 
were as discord to his soul ; every sight and sound 
of human happiness sickened him at heart ; and, 
ir the bitterness of his spii'it, he prayed that he 
4 



50 TEE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

might see the whole scene of prosperity laid 
waste with fire and sword by the invader. 

The story of domestic outrage and disgrace had 
already been made known to the Countess Fran- 
dina. When the hapless Florinda came in pres- 
ence of her mother, she fell on her neck, and hid 
her face in her bosom, and wept ; but the count- 
ess shed never a tear, for she was a woman 
haughty of spirit and strong of heart. She 
looked her husband sternly in the face. " Perdi- 
tion light upon thy head," said she, " if thou sub- 
mit to this dishonor. For my own part, woman 
as I am, I will assemble the followers of my 
house, nor rest until rivers of blood have washed 
away this stain." 

" Be satisfied," replied the count ; " vengeance 
is on foot, and will be sure and ample." 

Being now in his own domains, surrounded by 
his relatives and friends. Count Julian went on 
to complete his web of treason. In this he was 
aided by his brother-in-law, Oppas, the Bishop of 
Seville, — a man dark and perfidious as the night, 
but devout in demeanor, and smooth and plaus- 
ible in council. This artful prelate had contrived 
to work himself into the entire confidence of the 
king, and had even prevailed upon him to per- 
mit his nephews, Evan and Siseburto, the exiled 
sons of Witiza, to return into Spftin. They re- 
sided in Andalusia, and were now looked to as fit 
instruments in the present traitorous conspiracy. 

By the advice of the bishop. Count Julian 
called a secret meeting of his relatives and ad- 
lierentL :>n a wild rocky mountain, not far from 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 5i 

Consuegra, aud which still bears the Moorish 
appeUation of " La Sierra de Calderin," or the 
Mountain of Treason.^ When all were assembled, 
Count Julian appeared among them, accompanied 
by the bishop and by the Countess Fran din a. 
Then gathering around him those who were of 
his blood and kindred, he revealed the outrage 
that had been offered to their house. He rep- 
resented to them that Roderick was their legiti- 
mate enemy ; that he had dethroned Witiza, their 
relation, and had now stained the honor of one of 
the most illustrious daughters of their line. The 
Countess Frandina seconded his words. She 
was a woman majestic in person and eloquent of 
tongue, and being inspired by a mother's feelings, 
her speech aroused the assembled cavaliers to 
fury. 

The count took advantage of the excitement 
of the moment to imfold his plan. The main 
object was to dethrone Don Roderick, and give 
the crown to the sons of the late King Witiza. 
By this means they would visit the sins of the 
tyrant upon his head, and, at the same time, re- 
store the regal honors to their line. For this 
purpose their own force would be insufficient, 
but they might procure the aid of Muza ben 
Nosier, the Arabian general in Mauritania, who 
would no doubt gladly send a part of his troops 
into Spain to assist in the enterprise. 

The plot thus suggested by Count Julian 
received the unholy sanction of Bishop Oppas, 
who engaged to aid it secretly with all his in- 
1 Bleda, ca^. 5. 



5^ THE- I.EGENL OF DON RODERICK. 

flueiice and means ; for lie had great wealth and 
possessions, and many retainers. The example 
of the reverend prelate determined all who might 
otherwise have wavered, and they bound them- 
selves by dreadful oaths to be true to the con- 
spiracy. Count Julian undertook to proceed to 
Africa, and seek the camp of Muza, to negotiate 
for his aid, while the bishop was to keep about 
the person of King Roderick, and lead him into 
the net prepared for him. 

All things being thus arranged. Count Julian 
gathered together his treasure, and taking his 
wife and daughter and all his household, aban- 
doned the country he meant to betray, — em- 
barking at Malaga for Ceuta. The gate in the 
wall of that city, through which they went forth, 
continued for ages to bear the name of Puerta 
de la Cava, or the Gate of the Harlot ; for such 
was the opprobrious and unmerited appellation 
bestowed by the Moors on the unhappy Flo- 
rinda.^ 

1 Bleda, cap. 4. 




CHAPTER IX. 

Secret Visit of Count Julian to the Arab Camp. — First Ex- 
pedition of Taiic El Tuerto. 

HEN Count Julian had placed his family 
in security in Ceuta, surrounded by 
soldiery devoted to his fortunes, he" took 
with him a few confidential followers and departed 
in secret for the camp of the Arabian Emir, Muza 
ben Nosier. The camp was spread out in one of 
those pastoral valleys which lie at the feet of the 
Barbary Hills, with the great range of the Atlas 
Mountains towering in the distance. In the 
motley army here assembled were warriors of 
every tribe and nation, that had been united by 
pact or conquest in the cause of Islam. There 
were those who had followed Muza from the fertile 
regions of Egypt, aci-oss the deserts of Barca, 
and those who had joined his standard from among 
the sunburnt tribes of Mauritania. There were 
Saracen and Tartar, Syrian and Copt, and swarthy 
Moor ; sumptuous warriors from the civilized cities 
of the East, and the gaunt and predatory rovers 
of the desert. The greater part of the army, 
however, was composed of Arabs ; but differing 
greatly from the first rude hordes that enlisted 
under the banner of Mahomet. Almost a century 



54 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

Df continual wars with the cultivated nations of 
the East had rendered them accomplished war- 
riors ; and the occasional sojourn in luxurious 
countries and populous cities, had acquainted them 
with the arts and habits of civilized life. Still 
the roving, restless, and predatory habits of the 
genuine son of Ishmael prevailed, in defiance of 
every change of clime or situation. 

Count Julian found the Arab conqueror Muza 
surrounded by somewhat of Oriental state and 
splendor. He was advanced in life, but of a noble 
presence, and concealed his age by tingeing his hair 
and beard with henna. The count assumed an 
air of soldier-like frankness and decision when he 
came into his presence. " Hitherto," said he, 
'' we have been enemies ; but I come to thee in 
peace, and it rests with thee to make me the most 
devoted of thy friends. I have no longer coun- 
try or king. Roderick the Goth is an usurper, 
and my deadly foe ; he has wounded my honor in 
the tenderest point, and my country affords me 
no redress. Aid me in my vengeance, and I will 
deliver all Spain into thy hands, — a land far ex- 
ceeding in fertility and wealth all the vaunted re- 
gions thou hast conquered in Tiugitania." 

The heart of Muza leaped with joy at these 
words, for he was a bold and ambitious conqueror, 
and, having overrun all western Africa, had often 
cast a wistful eye to the mountains of Spain, as 
he beheld them brightening beyond the waters of 
the strait. Still he possessed the caution of a 
veteran', and feared to engage in an enterprise of 
6uch moment, and to carry his arms into another 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 55 

division of the globe, without the approbation of 
his sovereign. Having drawn from Count Julijin 
the particulars of his plan, and of the means he 
possessed to carry it into effect, he laid them be- 
fore his confidential counselors and officers, and 
demanded their opinion. " These words of Count 
Julian," said he, " may be false and deceitful ; or 
he may not possess the power to fulfill his promises. 
The whole may be a pretended treason to draw 
us on to our destruction. It is more natural that 
he should be treacherous to us than to his coun- 

Among the generals of Muza, was a gaunt, 
swarthy veteran, scarred with wounds, — a very 
Arab, whose great delight was roving and desper- 
ate enterprise, and who cared for nothing beyond 
his steed, his lance, and scimetar. He was a native 
of Damascus ; his name was Taric ben Zeyad, 
but, from having lost an eye, he was known among 
the Spaniards by the appellation of Taric el 
Tuerto, or Taric the one-eyed. 

The hot blood of this veteran Ishmaelite was 
in a ferment when he heard of a new country to 
invade and vast regions to subdue, and he dreaded 
lest the cautious hesitation of Muza should permit 
the glorious prize to escape them. " You speak 
doubtingly," said he, '' of the words of this Chris- 
tian cavalier, but their truth is easily to be as- 
certained. Give me four galleys and a handful 
of men, and I will depart with this Count Julian, 
skirt the Christian coast, and bring thee back 
tidings of the land, and of his means to put it in 
our power." 



56 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

The words of the veteran pleased Muza beii 
Nosier, and he gave his consent ; and Taric de- 
parted with four galleys, and five hundred men, 
guided by the traitor Julian.^ This first expedition 
of the Arabs against Spain, took place, according 
to certain historians, in the year of our Lord 
seven hundred aud twelve ; though others difiPer 
on this point, as indeed they do upon almost every 
point in this early period of Spanish history. The 
date to which the judicious chroniclers incline, is 
that of seven hundred and ten, in the month of 
July. It would appear from some authorities, 
also, that the galleys of Taric cruised along the 
coasts of Andalusia and Lusitania, under the 
feigned character of merchant barks, nor is this 
at all improbable, while they were seeking merely 
to observe the land, and get a knowledge of the 
harbors. Wherever they touched, Count Julian 
dispatched emissaries to assemble his friends and 
adherents at an appointed place. They gathered 
together secretly at Gezira Alhadra, that is to 
say, the Green Island, where they held a confer- 
ence with Count Julian in presence of Taric ben 
Zeyad.^ Here they agaoi avowed their readiness 
to flock to his standard whenever it should be 
openly raised, and made known their various prep- 
arations for a rebellion. Taric was convinced, 
by all that he had seen and heard, that Count 
Julian had not deceived them, either as to his dis- 
position or his means to betray his country. In- 

1 Beuter, Cron, Gen. de Espana^ L. 1, c. 28. Marmol 
Descrip. de Afnca., L. 2, c. 10. 

2 Bleda, Cron. c. 5. 



TEE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 57 

dulging his Arab inclinations, lie made an inroad 
into the land, collected great spoil and many- 
captives, and bore off his plunder in triumph to 
Muza, as a specimen of the riches to be gained 
by the conquest of the Christian land.^ 

1 Conde, Hist, Dom. Arab, part 1, c. 8. 



'^ 




CHAPTER X. 

Letter of Muza to the Caliph. — Second Expedition of 
Taric el Tuerto. 




N hearing the tidings brought by Taric 
el Tuerto, and beholding the spoil he 
had collected, Muza wrote a letter to the 
Caliph Waled Almanzor, setting forth the traitor- 
ous proffer of Count Julian, and the probability, 
through his means, of making a successful invasion 
of Spain. " A new land, " said he, " spreads it- 
self out before our delighted eyes, and invites 
our conquest : a land, too, that equals Syria in 
the fertility of its soil and the serenity of its sky ; 
Yemen, or Arabia the Happy, in its delightful 
temperature ; India, in its flowers and spices ; 
Hegiaz, in its fruits and flowers ; Cathay, in its 
precious minerals ; and Aden, in the excellence 
of its ports and harbors. It is populous also, 
and wealthy ; having many splendid cities and 
majestic monuments of ancient art. What is to 
prevent this glorious land from becoming the in- 
heritance of the faithful ? Already we have over- 
come the ti'ibes of Berbery, of Zab, of Derar of 
Zaara, Mazamuda and Sus, and the victorious 
standard of Islam floats on the towers of Tangier. 
But four leagues of sea separate us from tlie op- 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 59 

posite coast. One word from my sovereign, and 
the conquerors of Africa will pour their legions 
into Andalusia, rescue it from the domination of 
the unbeliever, and subdue it to the law of the 
Koran." i 

The Caliph was overjoyed with the contents of 
the letter. " God is great 1 " exclaimed he, " and 
Mahomet is his prophet ! It has been foretold by 
the ambassador of God that his law should extend 
to the ultimate parts of the West, and be carried 
by the sword into new and unknown regions. 
Behold another land is opened for the triumphs 
of the faithful. It is the will of Allah, and be 
his sovereign will obeyed." So the Caliph sent 
missives to Muza, authorizing him to undertake 
the conquest. 

Upon this there was a great stir of preparation, 
and numerous vessels were assembled and equipped 
at Tangier to convey the invading army across the 
straits. Twelve thousand men were chosen for 
this expedition, — most of them light Arabian 
troops, seasoned in warfare, and fitted for hardy 
and rapid enterprise. Among them were many 
horsemen, mounted on fleet Arabian steeds. The 
whole was put under the command of the veteran 
Taric el Tuerto, or the one-eyed, in whom Muza 
reposed implicit confidence as in a second self. 
Taric accepted the command with joy ; his martial 
fire was roused at the idea of having such an 
army under his sole command, and such a coun- 
try to overrun, and he secretly determined never 
to return unless victorious. 

1 Cotide, part 1, c. 8. 



60 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

He chose a dark night to convey his troops 
across the Straits of Hercules, and by break of 
day they began to disembark at Tarifa before the 
country had time to take tlie alarm. A few 
Christians hastily assembled from the neighbor- 
hood and opposed their landing, but were easily 
put to flight. Taric stood on the sea-side, and 
watched until the last squadron had landed, and 
all the horses, armor, and munitions of war were 
brought on shore ; he then gave orders to set 
fire to the ships. The Moslems w^ere struck 
with terror when they beheld their fleet wrapped 
in flames and smoke, and sinking beneath the 
waves. " How shall we escape," exclaimed they, 
" if the fortune of war should be against us ? " 
'' There is no escape for the coward," cried Taric ; 
*' the brave man thinks of none ; your only chance 
is victory." " But how without ships shall we 
ever return to our homes ? " " Your homes," re- 
plied Taric, " are before you ; but you must win 
them with your swords." 

While Taric was yet talking with his followers, 
says one of the ancient chroniclers, a Christian 
female was descried waving a white pennon on a 
reed, in signal of peace. On being brought into 
the presence of Taric, she prostrated herself be- 
fore him. " Sefior, " said she, '' I am an ancient 
woman ; and it is now fully sixty years past and 
gone since, as I was keeping vigils one winter's 
night by the fireside, I heard my father, who was 
an exceeding old man, read a prophecy said to 
have been written by a holy friar ; and this was 
the purport of the prophecy, that a time would 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 61 

arrive when our country would be invaded and 
conquered by a people from Africa of a strange 
garb, a strange tongue, and a strange religion. 
They were to be led by a strong and valiant cap- 
tain, who would be known by these signs : on his 
right shoulder he would have a hairy mole, and 
his right arm would be much longer than the left, 
and of such length as to enable him to cover his 
knee with his hand without bending his body/' 

Taric listened to the old beldame with grave 
attention, and when she had concluded, he laid 
bare his shoulder, and lo ! there was the mole as 
it had been described ; his right arm, also, was in 
verity found to exceed the other in length, though 
not to the degree that had been mentioned. Upon 
this the Arab host shouted for joy, and felt as- 
sured of conquest. 

The discreet Antonio Agapida, though he re- 
cords this circumstance as it is set down in ancient 
chronicle, yet withholds his belief from the pre- 
tended prophecy, considering the whole a cunning 
device of Taric to increase the courage of his 
troops. " Doubtless," says he, " there was a 
collusion between this ancient sibyl and the crafty 
son of Ishmael ; for these inMel leaders were full 
of damnable inventions to work upon the super- 
stitious fancies of their followers, and to inspire 
them with a blind confidence in the success of 
their arms." 

Be this as it may, the veteran Taric took ad- 
vantage of the excitement of his soldiery, and led 
them forward to gain possession of a stronghold, 
which was in a manner the key to all the adja- 



62 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

cent country. This was a lofty mountain or prom- 
ontory almost surrounded by the sea, and connected 
with the main-land by a narrow isthmus. It was 
called the rock of Calpe, and, like the opposite 
rock of Ceuta, commanded the entrance to the 
Mediterranean Sea. Here, in old times, Hercules 
had set up one of his pillars, and the city of He- 
raclea had been built. 

As Taric advanced against this promontory, he 
was opposed by a hasty levy of the Christians, 
who had assembled under the banner of a Gothic 
noble of great power and importance, whose do- 
mains lay along the mountainous coast of the 
Mediterranean. The name of this Christian 
cavalier was Theodomir, but he has universally 
been called Tadmir by the Arabian historians, 
and is renowned as being the first commander 
that made any stand against the inroads of the 
Moslems. He was about forty years of age ; 
hardy, prompt, and sagacious ; and had all the 
Gothic nobles been equally vigilant and shrewd 
in their defense, the banner of Islam would never 
have triumphed over the land. 

Theodomir had but seventeen hundred men 
under his command, and these but rudely armed ; 
yet he made a resolute stand against the army of 
Taric, and defended the pass to the promontory 
with great valor. He was at length obliged to 
retreat, and Taric advanced and planted his stan- 
dard on the rock of Calpe, and fortified it as his 
stronghold, and as the means of securing an en- 
trance into the land. To commemorate his first 
victory, he changed the name of the promontory, 



TEE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 63 

and called it Gibel Taric, or the Mountain of 
Taric, but in process of time the name has grad- 
ually been altered to Gibraltar. 

In the mean time, the patriotic chieftain Theo- 
domir, having collected his routed forces, en- 
camped with them on the skirts of the mountains, 
and summoned the country round to join his 
standard. He sent off missives in all speed to 
the king, imparting in brief and blunt terms the 
news of the invasion, and craving assistance with 
equal frankness. " Sen or," said he, in his letter, 
" the legions of Africa are upon us, but whether 
they come from heaven or earth I know not. 
They seem to have fallen from the clouds, for 
they have no ships. We have been taken by 
surprise, overpowered by numbers, and obliged 
to retreat ; and they have fortified themselves in 
our territory. Send us aid, Senor, with instant 
speed, or rather, come yourself to our assist- 



ance. 



»»l 



1 Coude, part 1, c. 9. 







CHAPTER XI. 

Measures of Don Roderick on Hearing of the Invasion. — 
Expedition of Ataulpho. — Vision of Taric. 

pHEN Don Roderick heard that legions 
of turbaned troops had poured into the 
land from Africa, he called to mind the 
visions and predictions of the necromantic tower, 
and great fear came upon him. But, though 
sunk from his former hardihood and virtue, 
though enervated by indulgence, and degraded in 
spirit by a consciousness of crime, he was reso- 
lute of soul, and roused himself to meet the 
coming danger. He summoned a hasty levy of 
horse and foot, amounting to forty thousand ; but 
now were felt the effects of the crafty counsel of 
Count Julian, for the best of the horses and 
armor intended for the public service had been 
sent into Africa, and were really in possession 
of the traitors. Many nobles, it is true, took the 
field with the sumptuous array with which they 
had been accustomt7*l ^ appear at tournaments 
and jousts, but most of their vassals were desti- 
tute of weapons, and cased in cuirasses of leather, 
or suits of armor almost consumed by rust. They 
were without discipline or animation; and their 
norses, like themselves, pampered by slothful 



THE LEGEND 9F DON RODERICK. 65 

peace, were little lilted to bear the heat, the dust, 
and toil of long campaigns. 

This army Don Roderick put under the com- 
mand of his kinsman Ataulpho, a prince of the 
royal blood of the Goths, and of a noble and 
generous nature ; and he ordered him to match 
with all speed to meet the foe, and to recruit his 
forces on the way with the troops of Theodomir. 

In the mean time, Taric el Tuerto had received 
large reinforcements from Africa, and the adher- 
ents of Count Julian and all those discontented 
with the sway of Don Roderick had flocked to 
his standard ; for many were deceived by the 
representations of Count Julian, and thought that 
the Arabs had come to aid him in placing the 
sons of Witiza upon the throne. Guided by the 
count, the troops of Taric penetrated into various 
parts of the country, and laid waste the land ; 
])ringing back loads of spoil to their stronghold 
at the rock of Calpe. 

The Prince Ataulpho marched with his army 
through Andalusia, and was joined by Theodomir 
with his troops ; he met with various detachments 
of the enemy foraging the country, and had sev- 
eral bloody skirmishes ; but he succeeded in driv- 
ing them before him, and they retreated to the 
rock of Calpe, where Taric lay gathered up with 
the main body of his army. 

The prince encamped not far from the bay 
which spreads itself out before the promontory 
In the evening he dispatched the veteran Theo- 
domir, with a trumpet, to demand a parley of 
the Arab chieftain, who received the envoy iu 
5 



66 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

his tent, surrounded by his captains. Theodomir 
was frank and abrupt in speech, for the most of 
his life had been passed far from courts. He de- 
Hvered, in round terms, the message of the Prince 
Ataulpho ; upbraiding the Arab general with his 
wanton invasion of the land, and summoning him 
to surrender his army or to expect no mercy. 

The single eye of Taric el Tuerto glowed like 
a coal of fire at this message. " Tell your com- 
mander," replied he, "that I have crossed the 
strait to conquer Spain, nor will I return until I 
have accomplished my purpose. Tell him I have 
men skilled in war, and armed in proof, with 
whose aid I trust soon to give a good account of 
his rabble host." 

A murmur of applause passed through the 
assemblage of Moslem captains. Theodomir 
glanced on them a look of defiance, but his eye 
rested on a renegado Christian, one of his own 
ancient comrades, and a relation of Count Julian. 
" As to you, Don Graybeard," said he, " you who 
turn apostate in your declining age, I here pro- 
nounce you a traitor to your God, your king, and 
country ; and stand ready to prove it this instant 
upon your body, if field be granted me." 

The traitor knight was stung with rage at 
these words, for truth rendered them piercing to 
the heart. He would have immediately answered 
to the challenge, but Taric forbade it, and ordered 
that the Christian envoy should be conducted 
from the camp. " 'T is well," replied Theodomir ; 
*' God will give me the field which you deny. 
Let yon hoary apostate look to himself to-morrow 



I 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 67 

in the battle, for I pledge myself to use mj lance 
upon no other foe until it has shed his blood 
upon the native soil he has betrayed." So say- 
ing, he left the camp, nor could the Moslem 
chieftains help admiring the honest indignation 
of this patriot knight, while they secretly de- 
spised his renegade adversary. 

The ancient Moorish chroniclers relate many 
awful portents and strange and mysterious visions, 
which appeared to the commanders of either 
army during this anxious night. Certainly it 
was a night of fearful suspense, and Moslem and 
Christian looked forward with doubt to the for- 
tune of the coming day. The Spanish sentinel 
walked his pensive round, listening occasionally 
to the vague sounds from the distant rock of 
Calpe, and eying it as the mariner eyes the thun- 
der-cloud, pregnant with terror and destruction. 
The Arabs, too, from their lofty cliffs, beheld the 
numerous camp-fires of the Christians gradually 
lighted up, and saw that they were a powerful 
host ; at the same time the night breeze brought 
to their ears the sullen roar of the sea which 
separated them from Africa. When they con- 
sidered their perilous situation, — an army on one 
side, with a whole nation aroused to reinforce it, 
and on the other an impassable sea, — the spirits 
of many of the warriors were cast down, and 
they repented the day when they had ventured 
into this hostile land. 

Taric marked their despondency, but said 
nothini{. Scarce had the first streak of mornino; 
\ight trembled along the sea, however, when he 



6S THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

summoned his principal warriors to his tent 
" Be of good cheer," said he ; " Alhih is with us 
and has sent his Prophet to give assurance of 
his aid. Scarce had 1 retired to my tent last 
night, when a man of a majestic and venerable 
presence stood before me. He was taller by a 
palm than the ordinary race of men, his flowing 
beard was of a golden hue, and his eyes were so 
bright that they seemed to send forth flashes of 
fire. I have heard the Emir Bahamet, and other 
ancient men, describe the Prophet, whom they 
had seen many times while on earth, and such 
was his form and lineament. ' Fear nothing, O 
Taric, from the morrow,' said he ; 'I will be 
with thee in the fight. Strike boldly, then, and 
conquer. Those of thy followers who survive 
the battle will have this land for an inheritance ; 
for those who fall a mansion in Paradise is pre- 
pared, and immortal houries await their coming. 
He spake and vanished ; I heard a strain of 
celestial melody, and my tent was filled with the 
odors of Arabia the Happy." " Such," say the 
Spanish chroniclers, " was another of the arts by 
which this arch son of Ishmael sought to animate 
the hearts of his followers ; and the pretended 
vision has been recorded by the Arabian writers 
as a veritable occurrence. Marvelous, indeed, 
was the effect produced by it upon the infidel 
Boldiery, who now crnd out with eagerness to be 
led ao;ainst the foe." 




CHAPTER XII. 

Battle of Calpe. —Fate of Ataulpho. 

^HE gray summits of the rock of Calpe 
brightened with the first rays of morn- 
ing, as the Christian army issued forth 
its encampment. The Prince Ataulpho 
from squadron to squadron, animating his 
soldiers for the battle. " Never should we sheathe 
our swords," said he, " while these infidels have 
a footing in the land. They are pent up within 
you rocky mountain ; we must assail them in 
their rugged hold. We have a long day before 
us ; let not the setting sun shine upon one of 
their host who is not a fugitive, a captive, or a 
corpse." 

The words of the prince were received with 
shouts, and the army moved towards the promon- 
tory. As they advanced, they heard the clash 
of cymbals and the bray of trumpets, and the 
rocky bosom of the mountain glittered with helms 
and spears and scimetars ; for the Arabs, in- 
spired with fresh confidence by the words of 
Taric, were sallying forth, with flaunting ban- 
ners, to the combat. 

The gaunt Arab chieftain stood upon a rock as 
Ins troops marched by ; his buckler was at his 



70 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK 

back, and he brandished in his hand a double- 
pointed spear. Calling upon the several leaders 
by their names, he exhorted them to direct their 
attacks against the Christian captains, and espe- 
cially against Ataulpho ; " for the chiefs being 
slain," said he, '' their followers will vanish from 
before us like the morning mist." 

The Gothic nobles were easily to be distin- 
guished by the splendor of their arms, but the 
Prince Ataulpho was conspicuous above all the 
rest for the youthful grace and majesty of his 
appearance and the bravery of his array. He 
was mounted on a superb Andalusian charger, 
richly caparisoned with crimson velvet, embroid- 
ered with gold. His surcoat was of like color 
and adornment, and the plumes that waved above 
his burnished helmet were of the purest white. 
Ten mounted pages, magnificently attired, fol- 
lowed him to the field, but their duty was not so 
much to fight as to attend upon their lord, and 
to furnish him with steed or weapon. 

The Christian troops, though irregular and 
undisciplined, were full of native courage ; for 
the old warrior spirit of their Gothic sires still 
glowed in their bosoms. There were two battal- 
ions of infantry, but Ataulpho stationed them in 
the rear ; " for God forbid," said he, " that foot- 
soldiers should have the place of honor in the 
battle, when I have so many valiant cavaliers." 
As the armies drew nigh to each other, however, 
it was discovered that the advance of the Arabs 
was composed of infantry. Upon this the cav- 
aliers checked their steeds, and requested that 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 71 

the foot soldiery might advance and disperse this 
losel crew, holding it beneath their dignity to 
contend with pedestrian foes. The prince, how- 
ever, commanded them to charge ; upon which, 
putting spurs to their steeds, they rushed upon 
the foe. 

The Arabs stood the shock manfully, receiving 
the horses upon the points of their lances ; many 
of the riders were shot down with bolts from 
cross-bows, or stabbed with the poniards of the 
Moslems. The cavaliers succeeded, however, in 
breaking into the midst of the battalion and throw- 
ing it into confusion, cutting down some with their 
swords, transpiercing others with their spears, 
and trampling many under the hoofs of their 
horses. At this moment they were attacked by 
a band of Spanish horsemen, the recreant parti- 
sans of Count Julian. Their assault bore hard 
upon their countrymen, who were disordered by 
the contest with the foot-soldiers, and many a 
loyal Christian knight fell beneath the sword of 
an unnatural foe. 

The foremost among these recreant warriors 
was the renegade cavalier whom Theodomir had 
challenged in the tent of Taric. He dealt his 
blows about him with a powerful arm and -with 
malignant fury, for nothing is more deadly thau 
the hatred of an apostate. In the midst of hia 
career he was espied by the hardy Theodomir, 
who came spurring to the encounter. "Traitor," 
cried he, " I have kept my vow. This lance has 
oeen held sacred from all other foes to make a 
passage for thy perjured soul." The renegade 



72 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

had been renowned fov prowess before he became 
a traitor to his country, but guilt will sap the cour- 
age of the stoutest heart. When he beheld 
Theodomir rushing upon him, he would have 
turned and fled ; pride alone withheld him ; and, 
though an admirable master of defense, he lost 
all skill to ward the attack of his adversary. At 
the first assault the lance of Theodomir pierced 
him through and through ; he fell to the earth, 
gnashed his teeth as he rolled in the dust, but 
yielded his breath without uttering a word. 

The battle now became general, and lasted 
throughout the morning with varying success. 
The stratagem of Taric, however, began to pro- 
duce its effect. The Christian leaders and most 
conspicuous cavaliers were singled out and sever- 
ally assailed by overpowering numbers. They 
fought desperately, and performed miracles of 
prowess, but fell, one by one, beneath a thousand 
wounds. Still the battle lingered on throughout 
a great part of the day, and as the declining 
sun shone through the clouds of dust, it seemed 
as if the conflicting hosts were wrapped in smoke 
and fire. 

The Prince Ataulpho saw that the fortune of 
battle was against him. He rode about the field, 
calling out the names of the bravest of his 
knights, but few answered to his call ; the rest 
lay mangled on the field. W'th this handful of 
warriors he endeavored to retrieve the day, when 
he was assailed by Tenderos, a partisan of Count 
JuliaiJ, at the head of a body of recreant Chris- 
tians. At the sight of this new adversary, fire 



TBE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. t3 

flashed from the eyes of the prince, for Tenderos 
had been brought up in his father's palace. 
'' Well dost thou, traitor ! " cried he, " to attack the 
son of thy lord, who gave thee bread ; thou, who 
hast betrayed thy country and thy God ! " 

So saying, he seized a lance from one of his 
pages, and charged furiously upon the apostate ; 
but Tenderos met him in mid career, and the 
lance of the prince was shivered upon his shield. 
Ataulpho then grasped his mace, which hung at 
his saddle-bow, and a doubtful fight ensued. Ten- 
deros was powerful of frame and superior in the 
use of his weapons, but the curse of treason 
seemed to paralyze his arm. He wounded Ataul- 
pho slightly between the greaves of his armor, 
but the prince dealt a blow with his mace that 
ci'ushed throuo'h helm and skull and reached the 
brain ; and Tenderos fell dead to earth, his ar- 
mor rattling as he fell. 

At the same moment, a javelin hurled by an 
Arab transpierced the horse of Ataulpho, which 
sunk beneath him. The prince seized the reins 
of the steed of Tenderos, but the faithful animal, 
as though he knew him to be the foe of his late 
lord, reared and plunged and refused to let him 
mount. The prince, however, used him as a 
shield to ward off the press of foes, while with 
his sword he defended himself against those in 
front of him. Taric ben Zeyad arrived at the 
scene of conflict, and paused for a moment in ad- 
miration of the surpassing prowess of the prince ; 
recollecting, however, that his fall would be a 
ieath-blow to his army, he spuTTed upon him, and 



74 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

wounded him severely with his scimetar. Before 
he could repeat his blow, Theodomir led up a 
body of Christiaa cavaliers to the rescue, and 
Taric was parted from his prey by the tumult of 
the fight. The prince sank to the earth, covered 
with wounds and exhausted by the loss of blood. 
A faithful page drew him from under the hoofs 
of the horses, and, aided by a veteran soldier, an 
ancient vassal of Ataulpho, conveyed him to a 
short distance from the scene of battle, by the 
side of a small stream that gushed out from 
among rocks. They stanched the blood that 
flowed from his wounds, and washed the dust 
from his face, and laid him beside the fountain. 
The page sat at his head, and supported it on his 
knees, and the veteran stood at his feet, with his 
brow bent and his eyes full of sorrow. The prince 
gradually revived, and opened his eyes. " How 
fares the battle?" said he. "The struggle is 
hard," replied the soldier, "but the day may yet 
be ours." 

The prince felt that the hour of his death was 
at hand, and ordered that they should aid him to 
rise upon his knees. They supported him between 
them, and he prayed fervently for a short time, 
when, finding his strength declining, he beckoned 
the veteran to sit down beside him on the rock. 
Continuing to kneel, he confessed himself to that 
ancient soldier, having no priest or friar to per- 
form that office in this hour of extremity. When 
he had so done, he sunk again upon the earth and 
pressed it with his lips, as if he would take a 
tbnd farewell of his beloved country. The page 



TRp. LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 75 

would then have raised his head, but found that 
his lord had yielded up the ghost. 

A number of Arab warriors, who came to the 
fountain to slake their thirst, cut off the head of 
the prince, and bore it in triumph to Taric, crying, 
" Behold the head of the Christian leader." Taric 
immediately ordered that the head should be put 
upon the end of a lance, together with the surcoat 
of the prince, and borne about the field of battle, 
with the sound of trumpets, atabals, and cymbals. 

When tlie Christians beheld the surcoat, and 
knew the features of the prince, they were struck 
with horror, and heart and hand failed them. 
Theodomir endeavored in vain to rally them ; they 
threw by their weapons and fled ; and they con- 
tinued to fly, and the enemy to pursue and slay 
them, until the darkness of the night. The Mos- 
lems then returned and plundered the Christian 
camp, where they found abundant spoil. 




CHAPTER XIII. 

Terror of the Countr5^ — Roderick rouses himself to Arms. 

l^g^^HE scattered fugitives of the Christian 
i^S^S ^^^y ^P^'^^cl terror throughout the land. 
I^a^yil The inhabitants of the towns and vil- 
lages gathered around them as they applied at 
their gates for food, or laid themselves down, faint 
and wounded, beside the public fountains. When 
they related the tale of their defeat, old men 
shook their heads and groaned, and the women 
uttered cries and himentations. So strange and 
unlooked-for a calamity filled them with conster- 
nation and despair ; for it was long since the alarm 
of war had sounded in their land, and this was a 
warfare that carried chains and slavery, and all 
kinds of horrors in its train. 

Don Roderick was seated with his beauteous 
queen, Exilona, in the royal palace which crowned 
the rocky summit of Toledo, v/hen the bearer of 
ill tidings came galloping over the bridge of the 
Tagus. " What tidings from the army ? " de- 
manded the king, as the panting messenger was 
brought into his presence. " Tidings of great 
woe," exclaimed the soldier. " The prince has 
fallen in battle. I saw his head and surcoat upon 
a Moorish lance, and the army was overthrown 
and fled." 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 77 

At hearing these words, Roderick covered his 
face with his hands, and for some time sat in si- 
lence ; and all his courtiers stood mute and aghast, 
and no one dared to speak a word. In that aw- 
ful space of time, passed before his thoughts all 
liis errors and his crimes, and all the evils that 
liad been predicted in the necromantic tower. 
His mind was filled with horror and confusion, 
for the hour of his destruction seemed at hand ; 
but he subdued his agitation by his strong and 
haughtv spirit ; and when he uncovered his face, 
no one could read on his brow the trouble and 
agony of his heart. Still every hour brought 
fresh tidiness of disaster. Messenorer after mes- 
senger came spurring into the city, distracting it 
with new alarms. The infidels, they said, were 
strengthening themselves in the land ; host after 
host were pouring in from Africa ; the sea-board 
of Andalusia glittered with spears and scimetars. 
Bands of turbaned horsemen had overrun the 
plains of Sidonia, even to the banks of the Gua- 
diana. Fields were laid waste, towns and cities 
plundered, the inhabitants carried into captivity, 
and the whole country lay in smoking desolation. 

Roderick heard all these tidings with aa un- 
daunted aspect, nor did he ever again betray sign 
of consternation ; but the anxiety of his soul was 
evident in his warlike preparations. He issued 
orders that every noble and prelate of his king- 
dom should put himself at the head of his retainers 
and take the field, and that every man capable of 
bearing arms should hasten to his standard, bring- 
ing whatever horse and mule and v/eapon he pos- 



78 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 

sessed ; and he appointed the plain of Cordova 
for the place where the army was to assemble. 
Throwing by, then, all the trappings of his late 
slothful and voluptuous life, and arming himself 
for warlike action, he departed from Toledo at 
the head of his guard, composed of the flower of 
the youthful nobility. His queen, Exilona, ac- 
companied him, for she craved permission to re- 
main in one of the cities of Andalusia, that she 
might be near her lord in this time of peril. 

Among the first who appeared to hail the ar- 
rival of the king at Cordova, was the Bishop 
Oppas, the secret partisan of the traitor Julian. 
He brought with him his two nephews, Evan and 
Siseburto, the sons of the late King Witiza, and 
a great host of vassals and retainers, all well armed 
and appointed ; for they had been furnished by 
Count Julian with a part of the arms sent by 
the king to Africa. The bishop was smooth of 
tongue and profound in his hypocrisy ; his pre- 
tended zeal and devotion, and the horror with 
which he spoke of the treachery of his kinsman, 
imposed upon the credulous spirit of the king, 
and he was readily admitted into his most secret 
councils. 

The alarm of the infidel invasion had spread 
throughout the land, and roused the Gothic valor 
of the inhabitants. On receiving the orders of 
Roderick, every town and hamlet, every mountain 
and valley, had sent forth its fighting men, and 
the whole country was on the march towards 
Andalusia. In a little while there were gathered 
together, on the plain of Cordova, near fifty thou- 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODEJciCK. 79 

sand horsemen and a countless host of foot-:sol- 
diers. The Gothic nobles appeared in burnished 
armor, curiously inlaid and adorned, with chains 
and jewels of gold, and ornaments of precious 
stones, and silken scarfs, and surcoats of brocade, 
or velvet richly embroidered ; betraying the luxury 
and ostentation into which they had declined from 
the iron hardihood of their warlike sires. As to 
the common people, some had lances and shields 
and swords and cross-bows, but the greater part 
were unarmed, or provided merely with slings, 
and clubs studded with nails, and with the iron 
implements of husbandry ; and many had made 
shields for themselves from the doors and windows 
of their habitations. They were a prodigious 
host, and appeared, say the Arabian chroniclers, 
like an agitated sea ; but, though brave in spirit, 
they possessed no knowledge of warlike art, and 
were ineffectual through lack of arms and dis* 
cipline. 

Several of the most ancient and experienced 
cavaliers, beholding the state of the army, advised 
Don Roderick to await the arrival of more regular 
troops, which were stationed in Iberia, Cantabria, 
and Gallia Gothica ; but this counsel was strenu- 
ously opposed by the Bishop Oppas ; who urged 
the king to march immediately against the infidels. 
"As yet," said he, "their number is but limited ; 
but every day new hosts arrive, like flocks of 
locusts, from Africa. They will augment faster 
than we ; they are living, too, at our expense, and 
while we pause, both armies are consuming the 
substance of tlie land." 



80 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 

King Roderick listened to the crafty counsel 
of the bishop, and determined to advance without 
delay. Fie mounted his war-horse Orelia, and 
rode among his troops assembled on that spacious 
plain, and wherever he appeared he was received 
with acclamations ; for nothing so arouses the 
spirit of the soldier as to behold his sovereign in 
arms. He addressed them in words calculated to 
touch their hearts and animate their courage. 
" The Saracens/' said he, " are ravaging our land, 
and their object is our conquest. Should they 
prevail, your very existence as a nation is at an 
end. They will overturn your altars, trample on 
the cross, lay waste your cities, carry off your 
wives and daughters, and doom yourselves and 
sons to hard and cruel slavery. No safety remains 
for yoLi but in the prowess of your arms. For 
ray own part, as I am your king, so will I be your 
leader, and will be the foremost to encounter every 
toil and danger." 

The soldiery answered their monarch with loud 
acclamations, and solemnly pledged themselves to 
fight to the last gasp in defense of their country 
and their faith. The king then arranged the 
order of their march ; all those who were armed 
with tuirasses and coats of mail were placed in 
the front and rear ; the centre of the army was 
composed of a promiscuous throng, without body- 
armor and but scantily provided with w^eapons. 

When they were ab>ut to march, the king 
called to him a noble cavalier named Kamiro, 
and, delivering him the royal standard, charged 
him to guard it well for the honor of Spain ; 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 81 

bcarcely, however, had the good knight received 
it in his hand, when he fell dead from his horse, 
and the staff of the standard was broken in 
twain. Many ancient courtiers who were pres- 
ent looked upon this as an evil omen, and coun- 
seled the king not to set forward on his march 
that day ; but, disregarding all auguries and por- 
tents, he ordered the royal banner to be put upon 
a lance, and gave it in charge of another stan- 
dard-bearer; then commanding the trumpets to be 
sounded, he departed at the head of his host to 
seek the enemy. 

The field where this great army assembled 
was called, from the solemn pledge given by the 
nobles and the soldiers, El campo de la verdad ; 
or. The Field of Truth — a name, says the sage 
chronicler Abulcasim, which it bears even to the 
present day.^ 

1 La Perdida de Espana, cap. 9. Ble 'a, L. 2, c 8« 




CHAPTER XIV. 

March of the Gothic Army. — Encampment on the Banks of 
the Guadalete. — Mysterious Predictions of a Palmer. — 
Conduct of Pelistes thereupon. 

HE hopes of Andalusia revived as this 
^1 mighty host stretched in lengthening 

Is^mi lines along its fertile plains ; from morn 
until night it continued to pour along, with sound 
of drum and trumpet ; it was led on by the 
proudest nobles and bravest cavaliers of the land, 
and, had it possessed arms and discipline, might 
have undertaken the conquest of the world. 

After a few days' march, Don Roderick ar- 
rived in sight of the Moslem army, encamped on 
the banks of the Guadalete,-^ where that beauti- 
ful stream winds through the fertile land of 
Xeres. The infidel host was far inferior in 
number to the Christians, but then it was com- 
posed of hardy and dexterous troops, seasoned to 
war and admirably armed. The camp shone 
gloriously in the setting sun, and resounded with 
the clash of cymbal, the note of the trumpet, 
and the neighing of fiery Arabian steeds. There 
were swarthy troops from every nation of the 

1 This name was given to it subsequently by the Arabs. 
It signifies the River of Death. Vide Pedraza, Bist. Granad, 
p. 3, c. 1. 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 83 

African coast, together with legions from Syria 
and Egypt, while thejight Bedouins were career- 
ing about the adjacent plain. What grieved and 
incensed the spirits of the Christian warriors, 
however, was to behold, a little apart from the 
Moslem host, an encampment of Spanish cava- 
liers, with the banner of Count Julian waving 
above their tents. They were ten thousand in 
number, valiant and hardy men, the most expe- 
rienced of Spanish soldiery, most of them having 
served in the African wars ; they were well 
armed and appointed, also, with the weapons of 
which the count had beguiled his sovereign ; and 
it was a grievous sight to behold such good sol- 
diers arrayed against their country and their 
faith. 

The Christians pitched their tents about the 
hour of vespers, at a short league distant from 
the enemy, and remained gazing with anxiety 
and awe upon this barbaric host that had caused 
such terror and desolation in the land ; for the 
first sight of a hostile encampment in a country 
disused to war is terrible to the newly enlisted 
soldier. A marvelous occurrence is recorded by 
the Arabian chroniclers as having taken place in 
the Christian camp ; but discreet Spanish writers 
relate it with much modification, and consider it 
a stratagem of the wily Bishop Oppas, to sound 
the loyalty of the Christian cavaliers. 

As several leaders of the army were seated 
with the bishop in his tent, conversing on the 
dubious fortunes of the approaching contest, an 
ancient pilgrim appeared at the entrance. He 



84 TEE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

was bowed down with years, his snowy beard 
descended to his girdle, andjie supported his tot- 
tering steps with a palmer's staff. The cavaliers 
rose and received him with great reverence as 
he advanced within the tent. Holding up his 
withered hand, *' Woe, woe to Spain ! " exclaimed 
he, " for the vial of the wrath of Heaven is 
about to be poured out. Listen, warriors, and 
take warning. Four months since, having per- 
formed my pilgrimage to the sepulchre of our 
Lord in Palestine, 1 was on my return towards 
my native land. Wearied and wayworn, I lay 
down one night to sleep beneath a palm-tree, by 
the side of a fountain, when I was awakened by 
a voice saying unto me, in soft accents, ' Son of 
sorrow, why sleepest thou ? ' I opened my eyes, 
and beheld one of a fair and beauteous counte- 
nance, in shining apparel, and with glorious wings, 
standing by the fountain ; and 1 said, ' Who art 
thou w^ho callest upon me in this deep hour of 
the night ? ' 

" ' Fear not,' replied the stranger ; ' I am an 
angel from heaven, sent to reveal unto thee the 
fate of thy country. Behold, the sins of Roder- 
ick have come up before God, and his anger is 
kindled against him, and He has given him up 
to be invaded and destroyed. Hasten then to 
Spain, and seek the camp of thy countrymen. 
Warn them that such only shall be saved as 
shall abandon Roderick ; but those who adhere 
to him shall share his punishment, and shall fall 
under the sword of the invader.' " 

The pilgrim ceased, and passed forth from the 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 85 

tent; certain of the cavaliers followed him to 
detain him, that the}?; might converse further with 
him about these matters, but he was nowhere to 
be found. The sentinel before the tent said, " I 
saw no one come forth, but it Avas as if a blast 
of wind passed by me, and there was a rustling 
as of dry leaves." 

The cavaliers remained looking upon each 
other with astonishment. The Bishop Oppas sat 
with his eyes fixed upon the ground, and 
shadowed by his overhanging brow. At length, 
breaking silence, in a low and faltering voice, 
" Doubtless," said he, " this message is from 
God ; and since He has taken compassion upon 
us, and given us notice of his impending judg- 
ment, it behooves us to hold grave council, and 
determine how best we may accomplish his will 
and avert his displeasure." 

The chiefs still remained silent, as men con- 
founded. Among them was a veteran noble 
named Pelistes. He had distinguished himself 
in the African wars, fighting side by side with 
Count Julian ; but the latter had never dared to 
tamper with his faith, for he knew his stern 
integrity. Pelistes had brought with him to the 
camp his only son, who had never drawn a sword 
except in tourney. When the young man saw 
that the veterans held their peace, the blood 
mantled in his cheek, and, overcoming his mod- 
esty, he broke forth with a generous warmth: 
" I know not, cavaliers," said he, " what is 
passing in your minds, but I believe this pilgrim 



86 THE LEGEND oF DON RODERICK, 

to be an envoy from the devil ; for none else 
could have given such dastard and perfidious 
counsel. For my own part, I stand ready to 
defend my king, my country, and my faith ; I 
know no higher duty than this, and if God thinks 
fit to strike me dead in the performance of it, 
his sovereign will be done ! " 

When the young man had risen to speak, his 
father had fixed his eyes upon him with a grave 
and stern demeanor, leaning upon a two-handed 
sword. As soon as the youth had finished, Pe- 
listes embraced him with a father's fondness. 
" Thou hast spoken well, my son," said he ; " if I 
held my peace at the counsel of this losel pil- 
grim, it was but to hear thy opinion, and to learn 
whether thou wert worthy of thy lineage and of 
the traininor I had oriven thee. Hadst thou coun- 
seled otherwise than thou hast done, — hadst 
thou shown thyself craven and disloyal, — so 
help me God, 1 would have struck off thy head 
with this weapon which I hold in my hand. 
But thou hast counseled like a loyal and a 
Christian knight, and I thank God for having 
given me a son worthy to* perpetuate the honors 
of my line. As to this pilgrim, be he saint or 
be he devil, I care not ; this much I promise, 
that if I am to die in defense of my country 
and my king, my life shall be a costly purchase 
to the foe. Let each man make the same re- 
solve, and I trust \yq shall yet prove the pilgrim 
a lying prophet." The words of Pelistes roused 
the spirits of many of the cavaliers ; others, 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 



87 



however, remained full of anxious foreboding ; 
and when this fearful prophecy was rumored 
about the camp, as it presently was by the emis- 
saries of the bishop, it spread awe and dismay 
among the soldiery. '*^ 





CHAPTER XV. 



Skirmishing of the Armies. — Pelistes and his Son.-rPelis- 
tes and the Bishop. 



j^^^'N the following day the two armies re- 
1 ^^1 maiiied regarding each other with wary 



but 



naenacing aspect. About noontide 

forth a chosen force of five 

horse and two hundred foot, the best 



King Roderick sent 



hundred 

armed of his host, to skirmish with the enemy, 
that, by gaining some partial advantage, they 
might raise the spirits of the army. They were 
led on by Theodomir, the same Gothic noble 
who had signalized himself by first opposing the 
invasion of the Moslems. 

The Christian squadrons paraded with flying 
pennons in the valley which lay between the 
armies. The Arabs were not slow in answering 
their defiance. A large body of horsemen sal- 
lied forth to the encounter, together with three 
hundred of the followers of Count Julian. There 
was hot skirmishing about the field and on the 
banks of the river ; many gallant feats were dis- 
played on either side, and many valiant warriors 
were slain. As the night closed in, the trumpets 
from either camp summoned the troops to retire 
from the combat. In this day's action the Chris- 
tians suffered greatly in the loss of their distin- 



THE LEGEND OF .DON RODERICK. 89 

giiished cavaliers ; for it is the noblest spirits 
who venture most, and lay themselves open to 
danger ; and the Moslem soldiers had instructions 
to single out the leaders of the adverse host. 
All this is said to have been devised by the per- 
fidious Bishop Oppas, who had secret communi- 
cations with the enemy, while he influenced the 
councils of the king ; and who trusted that by 
this skirmishing warfare the flower of the Chris- 
tian troops would be cut off, and the rest dis- 
heartened. 

On the following morning a larger force was 
ordered out to skirmish, and such of the soldiery 
as were unarmed were commanded to stand ready 
to seize the horses and strip off the armor of the 
killed and wounded. Among the most illustrious 
of the warriors who fought that day was Pelistes, 
the Gothic noble who had so sternly checked the 
tongue of the Bishop Oppas; He led to the field 
a large body of his own vassals and retainers, 
and of cavaliers trained up in his house, who had 
followed him to the wars in Africa, and who 
looked up to him more as a father than a chief- 
taiu. Beside him was his only son, who now for 
the first time was fleshing his sword in battle. 
The conflict that day was more general and 
bloody than the day preceding ; the slaughter of 
the Cbristian warriors was immense, from their 
lack of defensive armor ; and as nothing could 
prevent the flower of the Gothic chivalry from 
spurring to the combat, the field was strewed 
with the bodies of the youthful nobles. None 
sulFered more, however, than the warriors of 



90 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

Pelistes. Their leader himself was bold and 
hardy, and prone to expose himself to danger; 
but years and experience had moderated his early 
fire ; his son, however, was eager to distinguish 
himself in this, his first essay, and rushed with 
impetuous ardor into the hottest of the battle. 
In vain his father called to caution him ; he was 
ever in the advance, and seemed unconscious of 
the perils that surrounded him. The cavaliers 
and vassals of his father followed him with de- 
voted zeal, and many of them paid for their 
loyalty with their lives. When the trumpets 
sounded in the evening for retreat, the troops of 
Pelistes were the last to reach the camp. They 
came slowly and mournfully, and much decreased 
in number. Their veteran commander was 
seated on his war-horse, but the blood trickled 
from the greaves of his armor. His valiant son 
was borne on the shields of his vassals ; when 
they laid him on the earth near to where the 
king was standing, they found that the heroic 
youth had expired of his wounds. The cava- 
liers surrounded the body, and gave utterance to 
their grief, but the father restrained his agony, 
and looked on with the stern resignation of a 
soldier. 

Don Roderick surveyed the field of battle with 
a rueful eye, for it was covered with the mangled 
bodies of his most illustrious warriors ; he saw, 
too, with anxiety, that the common people, un- 
used to war and unsustained by discipline, were 
harassed by incessant toils and dangers, and were 
cooliuiT in their zeal and courao^e. 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 91 

The crafty Bishop Oppas marked the interDal 
trouble of the king, and thought a favorable mo- 
ment had arrived to sway him to his purpose. 
He called to his mind the various portents and 
prophecies which had forerun their present dan- 
ger. " Let not my lord the king/' said he, 
" make light of these mysterious revelations, 
which appear to be so disastrously fulfilling. The 
hand of Heaven appears to be against us. De- 
struction is impending over our heads. Our 
troops are rude and unskillful, but slightly armed, 
and much cast down in spirit. Better is it that 
we should make a treaty with the enemy, and by 
granting pait of his demands, prevent the utter 
ruiu of our country. If such counsel be accept- 
able to my lord the king, I stand ready to depart 
upon an embassy to the Moslem camp." 

Upon hearing these words, Pelistes, who had 
stood in mournful silence, regarding the dead body 
of his son, burst forth with honest indignation. 
" B}^ this good sword," said he, " the man who 
yields such dastard counsel deserves death from 
the hand of his countrymen rather than from the 
foe ; and, were it not for the presence of the king, 
may I forfeit salvation if I would not strike him 
dead upon the spot." 

The bishop turned an eye of venom upon Pe- 
listes. " My lord," said he, " I, too, bear a 
weapon, and know how to wield it. Were the 
king not present you would not dare to menace, 
nor should you advance one step without my has- 
tening to meet you." 

The king interposed between the jarring nobles, 



92 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

and rebuked the impetuosity of Pelistes, but at 
the same time rejected the counsel of the bishop. 
"The event of this conflict," said he, "is in the 
hand of God ; but never shall my sword return 
to its scabbard while an infidel invader remains 
within the land.'' 

He then held a council with his captains, and 
it was determined to offer the enemy general 
battle on the following day. A herald was dis- 
patched defying Taric ben Zeyad to the contest, 
and the defiance was gladly accepted by the Mos- 
lem chieftain, 1 Don Roderick then formed the 
plan of action, and assigned to each commander 
his several station, ^fter which he dismissed his 
officers, and each one sought his tent, to prepare 
by dilig<3nce or repose for the next day's eventful 
contest. 

1 Bleda, Cronica. 






CHAPTER XVI. 

Traitorous Message of Count Julian. 

i|ARlC BEN ZEYAD had been surprised 
by the valor of the Christian cavaliers 
in the recent battles, and at the number 
and apparent devotion of the troops which ac- 
companied the king to the field. The confident 
-defiance of Don Roderick increased his surprise. 
When the herald had retired, he turned an eye 
of suspicion on Count Julian. " Thou hast rep- 
resented thy countrymen/* said he, " as sunk in 
effeminacy and lost to all generous impulse ; yet 
I find them fighting with the courage and the 
strength of lions. Thou hast represented thy 
king as detested by his subjects and surrounded 
by secret treason ; but I behold his tents whiten- 
ing the hills and dales, while thousands are hourly 
flocking to his standard. Woe unto thee if thou 
hast dealt deceitfully with us, or betrayed us with 
guileful words." 

Don Julian retired to his tent in great trouble 
of mind, and fear came upon him that the 
Bishop Oppas might play him false ; for it is the 
lot of traitors ever to distrust each other. He 
called to him the same page who had brought him 



94 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 

the letter from Florinda, revealing the story of 
her dishonor. 

" Thou knowesc, my trusty page," said he, 
" that I have reared thee in my household, and 
cherished thee above all thy companions. If thou 
hast loyalty and affection for thy lord, now is the 
time to serve him. Hie thee to the Christian 
camp, and find thy way to the tent of the Bishop 
Oppas. If any one ask thee who thou art, tell 
them thou art of the household of the bishop, and 
bearer of missives from Cordova. When thou 
art admitted to the presence of the bishop, show 
him this ring, and he will commune with thee in 
secret. Then tell him Count Julian greets him 
as a brother, and demands how the wrongs of his 
daughter Florinda are to be redressed. Mark 
well his reply, and bring it word for word. Have 
thy lips closed, but thine eyes and ears open ; and 
observe everything of note in the camp of the 
king. So, speed thee on thy errand — away, 
away ! " 

The page hastened to saddle a Barbary steed, 
fleet as the wind, and of a jet black color, so as 
not to be easily discernible in the night. He 
girded on a sword and dagger, slung an Arab bow 
with a quiver of arrows at his side, and a buckler 
at his shoulder. Issuing out of the camp, he 
sought the banks of the Guadalete, and proceeded 
silently along its stream, which reflected the 
distant fires of the Christian camp. As he passed 
by the place which had been the scene of the 
recent conflict, he heard from time to time the 
groan of some expiring warrior who had crawled 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 95 

among the reeds on the margin of the river, and 
sometimes his steed stepped cautiously over the 
mangled bodies of the slain. The young page 
was unused to the sights of war. and his heart 
beat quick within him. He was hailed by the 
sentinels as he approached the Christian camp, 
and, on giving the reply taught him by Count 
Julian, was conducted to the tent of the Bishop 
Op pas. 

The bishop had not yet retired to his couch. 
When he beheld the ring of Count Julian, and 
heard the words of his message, he saw that the 
page was one in whom he might confide. " Hasten 
back to thy lord," said he, " and tell him to have 
faith in me and all shall go well. As yet I have 
kept my troops out of the combat. They are all 
fresh, well armed, and well appointed. The king 
has confided to myself, aided by the princes Evan 
and Siseburto, the command of a wing of the 
army. To-morrow, at the hour of noon, when 
both armies are in the heat of action, we will 
pass over with our forces to the Moslems. But 
I claim the compact made with Taric ben Zeyad, 
that my nephews be placed in dominion over 
Spain, and tributary only to the Caliph of Da- 
mascus." With this traitorous message the page 
departed. He led his black steed by the bridle, 
to present less mark for observation, as he went 
stumbling along near the expiring fires of the 
camp. On passing the last outpost, where the 
guards were half slumbering on their arms, he 
was overheard and summoned, but leaped lightly 
into the saddle and put spurs to his steed. An 



96 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

arrow whistled by his ear, and two more stuck in 
the target which ho had thrown upon his back. 
The clatter of swift hoofs echoed behuid him, but 
he had learnt of the Arabs to fight and fly. 
Plucking a shaft from his quiver, and turning and 
rising in the stirrups as his courser galloped at 
fall speed, he drew the arrow to the head and 
launched it at his pursuer. Tlie twang of the 
bow-string was followed by the crash of armor, 
and a deep groan, as the horseman tumbled to the 
earth. The page pursued his course without 
further molestation, and arrived at the Moslem 
camp before the break of day. 




A 



CHAPTER XVn. 

Last Day of the Battle. 




LIGHT had burned throughout the night 
in the tent of the king, and anxious 
thouo'hts and dismal visions troubled his 
repose. If he fell into a slumber, he beheld in 
his dreams the shadowy phantoms of the necro- 
mantic tower, or the injured Florinda, pale and 
disheveled, imprecating the vengeance of Heaven 
upon his head. In the mid-watches of tlie night, 
when all was silent except the footstep of the 
sentinel pacing before his tent, the king rose from 
his couch, and walking forth, looked thoughtfully 
upon the martial scene before him. The pale 
crescent of the moon hung over the Moorish camp, 
and dimly lighted up the windings of the Gua- 
dalete. The heart of the king was heavy and 
oppressed ; but he felt only for himself, says 
Antonio Agapida ; he thought nothing of the perils 
impending over the thousands of devoted subjects 
in the camp below him ; sleeping, as it were, on 
the margin of their graves. The faint clatter of 
distant hoofs, as if in rapid flight, reached the 
monarch's ear, but the horsemen were not to be 
descried. At that very hour, and along the 
shadowy banks of that river, here and there 
gleaming with the scanty moonlight, passed the 



98 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 

fugitive messenger of Count Julian, with the piaii 
of the next day's treason. 

The day had not yet dawned when the sleep- 
less and impatient monarch summoned his attend- 
ants and arrayed himself for the field. He then 
sent for the venerable Bishop Urbino, who had 
accompanied him to the camp, and, laying aside 
his regal crown, he knelt with head uncovered, 
and confessed his sins before the holy man. After 
this a solemn mass was performed in the royal tent, 
and the eucharist administered to the monarch. 
When these ceremonies were concluded, he be- 
sought the archbishop to depart forthwith for Cor- 
dova, there to await the issue of the battle, and 
to be ready to bring forward reinforcements and 
supplies. The archbishop saddled his mule and 
departed just as the faint blush of morning began 
to kindle in the east. Already the camp re- 
sounded with the thrilling call of the trumpet, the 
clank of armor, and the tramp and neigh of steeds. 
As the archbishop passed through the camp, he 
looked with a compassionate heart on this vast 
multitude, of whom so many were soon to perish. 
The warriors pressed to kiss his hand, and many 
a cavalier full of youth and fire received his bene- 
diction, who was to lie stiff and cold before the 
evening. 

When the troops were marshaled for the field, 
Don Roderick prepared to sally forth in the state 
and pomp with which the Gothic kings were wont 
to go to battle. He was arrayed in robes of gold 
brocade ; his sandals were embroidered with pearls 
and diamonds ; he had a sceptre in his hand, and 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 99 

he wore a regal crown resplendent with inestim- 
able jewels. Thus gorgeously appareled, he as- 
cended a lofty chariot of ivory, the axle-trees of 
which were of silver, and the wheels and pole 
covered with plates of burnished gold. Above 
his head was a canopy of cloth of gold, embossed 
with armorial devices, and studded with precious 
stones.^ This sumptuous chai'iot was drawn by 
milk-white horses, with caparisons of crimson 
velvet, embroidered with pearls. A thousand 
youthful cavaliers surrounded the car, all of the 
noblest blood and bravest spirit; all knighted by 
the king's own hand, and sworn to defend him to 
the last. 

Wlien Roderick issued forth in this' resplendent 
state, says an Arabian writer, surrounded by his 
guards in gilded armor and waving plumes and 
scarfs and sm-coats of a thousand dyes, it was as 
if the sun were emerging in the dazzling chariot 
of the day from amidst the glorious clouds of 
morning. 

As the royal car rolled along in front of the 
squadrons, the soldiers shouted with admiration. 
Don Roderick waved his sceptre and addressed 
them from his lofty throne, reminding them of 
the horror and desolation which had already been 
spread through the land by the invaders. He 
called upon them to summon up the ancient valor 
of their race, and avenge the blood of their 
brethren. " One day of glorious fighting,'' said 
he, " and this infidel horde will be driven into the 
sea or will perish beneath your swords. Forward 
1 Entrand. Cliron. an, Chris. 714. 



100 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 

bravely to the fight ; your families are behind you 
praying for your success ; the invaders of your 
country are before you ; God is above to bless his 
holy cause, and your king leads you to the field." 
The army shouted with one accord, " Forward to 
the foe, and death be his portion who shuns the 
encounter ! " 

The rising sun began to shine along the glisten- 
ing waters of the Guadalete as the Moorish army, 
squadron after squadron, came sweeping down a 
gentle declivity to the sound of martial music. 
Their turbans and robes, of various dyes and 
fashions, gave a splendid appearance to their host ; 
as they marched, a cloud of dust arose and partly 
hid them from the sight, but still there would 
break forth flashes of steel and gleams of burnished 
gold, like rays of vivid lightning ; while the sound 
of drum and trumpet, and the clash of Moorish 
cymbal, were as the warlike thunder within that 
stormy cloud of battle. 

As the armies drew near each other, the sun 
disappeared among gathering clouds, and the 
gloom of the day was increased by the columns 
of dust which rose from either host. At length 
the trumpets sounded for the encounter. The 
battle commenced with showers of arrows, stones, 
and javelins. The Christian foot-soldiers fought 
to disadvantage, the greater part being destitute 
of helm or buckler. A battalion of light Ara- 
bian horsemen, led by a Greek renegado named 
Maguel el E-umi, careered in front of the Chris- 
tian line, launching their darts, and then wheel- 
ing off beyond the reach of the missiles hurled 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 101 

after them. Theodomir now brought up his sea- 
Boned troops into the action, seconded by the 
veteran Pelistes, and in a little while the battle 
became furious and promiscuous. It was glo- 
rious to behold the old Gothic valor shining forth 
in this hour of fearful trial. Wherever the 
Moslems fell, the Christians rushed forward, 
seized upon their horses, and stripped them of 
their armor and their weapons. They fought 
desperately and successfully, for they fought for 
their country and their faith. The battle raged 
for several hours ; the field was strewn with 
slain, and the Moors, overcome by the multitude 
and fury of their foes, began to falter. 

When Taric beheld his troops retreating before 
the enemy, he threw himself before them, and, 
rising in his stirrups, *' O Moslems ! conquerors 
of Africa ! " cried he, '• whither would you fly ? 
The sea is behind you, the enemy before ; you 
have no hope but in your valor and the help of 
God ! Do as I do, and the day is ours ! " 

With these words he put spurs to his horse 
and sprung among the enemy, striking to right 
and left, cutting down and destroying, while his 
steed, fierce as himself, trampled upon the foot- 
soldiers, and tore them with his teeth. At this 
moment a mighty shout arose in various parts of 
the field; the noontide hour had arrived. The 
Bishop Oppas, with the two princes, who had 
hitherto kept their bands out of the fight, sud- 
denly went over to the enemy, and turned 
their weapons upon their astonished countrymen. 
From that moment the fortune of the day was 



102 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

changed, and the field of battle became a scene 
of wild confusion and bloody massacre. The 
Christians knew not whom to contend with, or 
whom to trust. It seemed as if madness had 
seized upon their friends and kinsmen, and that 
their worst enemies were among themselves. 

The courage of Don Roderick rose with his 
danger. Throwing off the cumbrous robes of 
royalty, and descending from his car, he sprang 
upon his steed Orelia, grasped his lance and 
buckler, and endeavored to rally his retreating 
troops. He was surrounded and assailed by a 
multitude of his own traitorous subjects, but de- 
fended himself with wondrous prowess. The 
enemy thickened around him ; his loyal band of 
cavaliers were slain, bravely fighting in his de- 
fense ; the last that was seen of the king was in 
the midst of the enemy, dealing death at every 
blow. 

A complete panic fell upon the Christians ; 
they threw away their arms and fled in all direc- 
tions. They were pursued with dreadful slaugh- 
ter, until the darkness of the night rendered it 
impossible to distinguish friend from foe. Taric 
then called off his troops from the pursuit, and 
took possession of the royal camp ; and the 
couch which had been pressed so uneasily on the 
preceding night by Don Roderick, now yielded 
sound repose to his conqueror.^ 

1 This battle is called indiscriminately by historians the 
battle of Guadalete, or of Xeres, from the neighborhood of 
that cit^ 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

The Field of Battle after the Defeat. —The Fate of Roderick. 




|N the morning after the battle, the Arab 
leader, Taric ben Zeyad, rode over the 
bloody field of the Guadalete, strewed 
with the ruins of those splecdid armies which 
had so lately passed like glorious pageants along 
the river banks. There Moor and Christian, 
horseman and horse, lay gashed with hideous 
wounds ; and the river, still red with blood, was 
filled with the bodies of the slain. The gaunt 
Arab was as a wolf roamino^ throuo^h the fold he 
had laid waste. On every side his eye reveled 
on the ruin of the country, on the wrecks of 
haughty Spain. There lay the flower of her 
youthful chivalry, mangled and destroyed, and 
the strength of her yeomanry prostrated in the 
dust. The Gothic noble lay confounded with his 
vassals, the peasant with the prince — all ranks 
and dignities were mingled in one bloody mas- 
sacre. 

When Taric had surveyed the field, he caused 
the spoils of the dead and the phinder of the 
jamp to be brought before him. The booty was 
immense. There were massy chains and rare 
jewels of gold, pearls and precious stones, rich 



104 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

Bilks and brocades, and all other luxurious ieco* 
rations in which the Gothic nobles had indulged 
in the latter times of their degeneracy. A vast 
amount of treasure was likewise found, which 
had been brought by Roderick for the expenses 
of the war. 

Taric then ordered that the bodies of the 
Moslem warriors should be interred ; as for those 
of the Christians, they were gathered in heaps, 
and vast pyres of wood were formed, on which 
they were consumed. The flames of these pyres 
rose high in the air, and were seen afar off in 
the night; and when the Christians beheld them 
from the neighboring hills, they beat their breasts 
and tore their hair, and lamented over them as 
over the funeral fires of their country. The 
carnage of that battle infected the air for two 
whole months, and bones were seen lying in 
heaps upon the field for more than forty years ; 
nay, when ages had passed and gone, the hus- 
bandman, turning up the soil, would still find 
fragments of Gothic cuirasses and helms, and 
Moorish scimetars, the relics of that dreadful 

fight. 

For three days the Arabian horsemen pursued 
the flying Christians, hunting them over the face 
of the country, so that but a scanty number of 
that mighty host escaped to tell the tale of their 
disaster, 

Taric ben Zeyad considered his victory incom- 
plete so long as the Gothic monarch survived ; he 
proclaimed great rewards, therefore, to whomso- 
ever should bring Roderick to him, dead or alive. 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 105 

A diligent search was accordingly made in every 
direction, but for a long time in vain ; at length 
a soldier brought to Taric the head of a Chris- 
tian warrior, on which was a cap decorated with 
feathers and precious stones. The Arab leader 
received it as the head of the unfortunate Eoder- 
ick, and sent it, as a trophy of his victory, to 
Muza ben Nosier, who, in like manner, transmit- 
ted it to the Caliph at Damascus. The Spanish 
historians, however, have always denied its iden- 
tity. 

A mystery has ever hung, and ever must con- 
tinue to hang, over the fate of King Roderick, 
in that dark and doleful day of Spain. Whether 
he went down amidst the storm of battle, and 
atoned for his sins and errors by a patriot grave, 
or whether he survived to repent of them in 
hermit exile, must remain matter of conjecture 
and dispute. The learned Archbishop Rodrigo, 
who has recorded the events of this disastrous 
field, affirms that Roderick fell beneath the venjre- 
ful blade of the traitor Julian, and thus expiated 
w^ith his blood his crime against the hapless Flo- 
rinda ; but the archbishop stands alone in his 
record of the fact. It seems generally admitted 
that Orelia, the favorite war-horse of Don Rod- 
erick, was found entangled in a marsh on the 
borders of the Guadalete, with the sandals and 
mantle and royal insignia of the king lying close 
by him. The river at this place ran broad and 
deep, and was encumbered with the dead bodies 
of warriors and steeds ; it has been supposed, 
therefore, that he perished in the stream ; but his 
body was not found within its waters. 



106 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

When several years had passed away, and men's 
minds, being restored to some degree of tranquil- 
lity, began to occupy themselves about the events 
of this dismal day, a rumor arose that Roderick 
had escaped from the carnage on the banks of the 
Guadalete, and was still alive. It was said that 
having from a rising ground caught a view of the 
whole field of battle, and seen that the day was lost, 
and his army flying in all directions, he likewise 
sought his safety in flight. It is added that the 
Arab horsemen, while scouring the mountains in 
quest of fugitives, found a shepherd arrayed in the 
royal robes, and brought him before the conqueror, 
believing him to be the king himself. Count Ju- 
lian soon dispelled the error. On being ques- 
tioned, the trembling rustic declared that while 
tending his sheep in the folds of the mountains, 
there came a cavalier on a horse wearied and 
spent and ready to sink beneath the spur. That 
the cavalier with an authoritative voice and men- 
acing air commanded him to exchange garments 
with him, and clad himself in his rude garb of 
sheep-skin, and took his crook and his scrip of 
provisions, and continued up the rugged defiles 
of the mountains leading towards Castile, until he 
was lost to view.^ 

This tradition was fondly cherished by many, 
who clung to the belief in the existence of their 
monarch as their main hope for the redemption 
of Spain. It was even affirmed that he had taken 
refuge, with many of his host, in an island of the 

1 Bleda, Crm. L. 2, c. 9. Abulcasira Tarif Abentanque, L 
1, c. 10. 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 107 

" Ocean sea," from whence he might yet return 
once more to elevate his standard, and battle for 
the recovery of his throne. 

Year after year, however, elapsed, and nothing 
was heard of Don Roderick; yet, like Sebastian 
of Portugal and Arthur of England, his name 
continued to be a rallying-point for popular faith, 
and the mystery of his end to give rise to roman- 
tic fables. At length, when generation after gen- 
eration had sunk into the grave, and near two 
centnries had passed and gone, traces were said to 
be discovered that threw a lio^ht on the final for- 
tunes of the unfortunate Eoderick. At that time 
Don Alphonso the Great, king of Leon, had 
wrested the city of Yiseo in Lusitania from the 
hands of the Moslems. As his soldiers were 
ranging about the city and its environs, one of 
them discovered in a field, outside of the walls, a 
small chapel or hermitage, with a sepulchre in 
front, on which was inscribed this epitaph in Gothic 
characters : — 

HIC REQUIESCIT RUDERICUS, 
ULTIMUS REX GOTHORUM.^ 

It has been believed by many that this was the 
veritable tomb of the monarch, and that in this 
hermitage he had finished his days in solitary pen- 
ance. The warrior, as he contemplated the sup- 
posed tomb of the once haughty Roderick, forgot 
all his faults and errors, and shed a soldier's tear 

1 Here lies Roderick, 
.The last King of the Goths. 



108 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 

over his memory ; but when his thoughts turned 
to Count Julian, his patriotic indignation broke 
forth, and with his dagger he inscribed a rude 
malediction on the stone. 

*-' Accursed," said he, " be the impious and head 
long vengeance of the traitor Julian. He was a 
murderer of his king, a destroyer of his kindred, 
a betrayer of his country. May his name be bit- 
ter in every mouth, and his memory infamous to 
all generations." 

Here ends the legend of Don Roderick. 



ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE FOREGOING 
LEGEND. 



THE TOMB OF RODERICK. 

The venerable Sebastiano, Bishop of Salamanca, 
declares that the inscription on the tomb at Yiseo 
in Portugal existed in his time, and that he had 
seen it. A particular account of the exile and her- 
mit life of Roderick is furnished by Berganza, on the 
authority of Portuguese chronicles. 

" Algunos historiadores Portugueses asseguran, que 
el Rey Rodrigo, perdida la battalia, huyo a tierra de 
Merida, y se recogio en el monasterio de Cauliniano, 
en donde, arrepentido de sus culpas, procuro con- 
fessarlas con muchas lagrimas. Deseando mas retiro, 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 109 

y escogiendo por companero a un monge llamado Ro- 
man, y elevando la Imagen de Nazareth, que Cyriaco 
monge de nacion griego avra traido de Jerusalem al 
monasterio de Cauliniano, se subio a un monte muy 
aspero, que estaba sobre el mar, junto al lugar de 
Pederne}Ta. Yivio Rodrigo en compania de el 
monge en el hueco de una gruta por espacio de un 
ano ; despues se passo a la ermita de san ^Miguel, quo 
estaba eerca de Yiseo, en donde murio y fue sepul- 
tado. 

" Puedese ver esta relacion en las notas de Don 
Thomas Tamayo sobre Paulo deacano. El chronicon 
de san Millan, que Uega hasta el ano 883, deze que, 
hasta su tiempo, si ignora el fin del Rey Rodrigo. 
Pocos anos despues el Rey Don Alonzo el Magno, 
aviendo ganado la eiudad de Yiseo, encontro en una 
iglesia el epitafio que en romance dize — aqui yaze, 
Rodrigo, ultimo Rey de los Godos/' — Berganza, L. 
i. c. 13. 



THE CAYE OF HERCULES. 

As the story of the necromantic tower is one of 
the most famous as well as least credible points in 
the history of Don Roderick, it may be well to fortify 
or buttress it by some account of another marvel of 
the city of Toledo. This ancient city, which dates 
its existence almost from the time of the flood, claim- 
ing as its founder Tubal, the son of Japhet, and 
grandson of Noah,^ has been the warrior hold of 
many generations and a strange diversity of races. 
It bears traces of the artifices and devices of its va- 
rious occupants, and is fiill of mysteries and subjects 

^ Salazar, Ilist. Gran. Cardinal. Prologo^ vol. i. plan 1. 



no THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

for antiquarian conjecture and perplexity. It is built 
upon a high rocky promontory, with the Tagus brawl- 
ing round its base, and is overlooked by cragged and 
precipitous hills. These hills abound with clefts and 
caverns; and the promontory itself, on which the 
city is built, bears traces of vaults and subterraneous 
habitations, which are occasionally discovered under 
the ruins of ancient houses, or beneath the churches 
and convents. 

These are supposed by some to have been the 
habitations or retreats of the primitive inhabitants; 
for it was the custom of the ancients, according to 
Pliny, to make caves in high and rocky places, and 
live in them through fear of floods ; and such a pre- 
caution, says the worthy Don Pedro de Roxas, in 
his history of Toledo, was natural enough among the 
first Toledans, seeing that they founded their city 
shortly after the deluge, wliile the memory of it was 
still fresh in their minds. 

Some have supposed these secret caves and vaults 
to have been places of concealment of the inhabit- 
ants and their treasure during times of war and vio- 
lence ; or rude temples for the performance of relig- 
ious ceremonies in times of persecution. There are 
not wanting other, and grave writers, who give them 
a still darker purpose. In these caves, say they, 
were taught the diabolical mysteries of magic ; and 
here were performed those infernal ceremonies and 
incantations horrible in the eyes of God and man. 
*' History," says the worthy Don Pedro de Roxas, 
''is full of accounts that the magi taught and per- 
formed their magic and their superstitious rites in 
profound caves and secret places ; because as this 
art of the devil was prohibited from the very origin 
of Christianity, they always sought for hidden places 
in whi^-h to practice it." In the time of the Moors 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. Ill 

this art, we are told, - was publicly tauglit at tlieir 
universities, the same as astronomy, philosophy, and 
matlicmatics, and at no place was it cultivated with 
more success than at Toledo. Hence this city has 
ever been darkly renowned for mystic science ; inso- 
much that the magic art was called by the French, 
and by other nations, the Arte Toledana. 

Of all the marvels, however, of this ancient, pic- 
turesque, romantic, and necromantic city, none in 
modern times surpass the Cave of Hercules, if we 
may take the account of Don Pedro de Koxas for 
authentic. The entrance to this cave is within the 
church of San Gines, situated in nearly the highest 
part of the city. The portal is secured by massy 
doors, opening within the walls of the church, but 
which are kept rigorously closed. The cavern ex- 
tends under the city and beneath the bed of the 
Tagus to the distance of three leagues beyond. It 
is, in some places, of rare architecture, built of small 
stones curiously wrought, and supported by columns 
and arches. 

In the year 1546 an account of this cavern was 
given to the archbishop and Cardinal Don Juan 
Martinez Siliceo, who, desirous of examining it, or- 
dered the entrance to be cleaned. A number of 
persons, furnished with provisions, lanterns, and 
cords, then went in, and, having proceeded about 
half a league, came to a place where there was a 
kind of chapel or temple, having a table or altar, 
with several statues of bronze in niches or on pedes- 
tals. 

"While they were regarding this mysterious scene 
of ancient worship or incantation, one of the statues 
fell, with a noise that echoed tlirough the cavern, 
and smote the hearts of the adventurers with terror. 
Recovering from their alarm, they proceeded on- 



112 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

ward, but were soon again dismayed by a roaring 
and rushing sound that increased as they advanced. 
It was made by a furious and turbulent stream, the 
dark waters of which were too deep and broad and 
rapid to be crossed. By this time their hearts were 
so chilled with awe, and their thoughts so bewildered, 
that they could not seek any other passage by which 
they might advance ; so they turned back and has- 
tened out of the cave. It was nightfall when they 
sallied forth, and they were so much affected by the 
terror they had undergone, and by the cold and 
damp air of the cavern, to which they were the 
more sensible from its being in the summer, that all 
of them fell sick and several of them died. T\niether 
the archbishop was encouraged to pursue his re- 
search and gratify his curiosity, the history does not 
mention. 

Alonzo Telles de Meneses, in his history of the 
world, records that not long before his time a boy 
of Toledo, being threatened with punishment by his 
master, fled and took refuge in this cave. Fancying 
his pursuer at his heels, he took no heed of the ob- 
scurity or coldness of the cave, but kept groping and 
blundering forward, until he came forth at three 
leagues' distance from the city. 

Another and very popular story of this cave, cur- 
rent among the common people, was, that in its re- 
mote recesses lay concealed a great treasure of gold, 
lefl there by the Romans. Whoever would reach 
this precious hoard must pass through several caves 
or grottoes ; each having its particular terror, and all 
under the guardianship of a ferocious dog, who has 
the key of all the gates, and watches day and night. 
At the approach of any one, he shows his teeth, and 
makes a hideous growling ; but no adventurer after 
wealth has had courage to brave a contest with this 
terrific cerberus. 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 113 

The most intrepid candidate on record was a poor 
man who had lost his all, and had those grand in- 
centives to desperate enterprise, a wife and a large 
family of children. Hearing the story of this cave, 
he determined to venture alone in search of the 
treasure. He accordingly entered, and wandered 
many hours, bewildered, about the cave. Often 
would he have returned, but the thoughts of his wife 
and children urged him on. At length he arrived 
near to the place where he supposed the treasure lay 
hidden ; but here, to his dismay, he beheld the floor 
of the cavern strewn with human bones, doubtless 
the remains of adventurers like himself, who had 
been torn to pieces. 

Losing all courage, he now turned and sought his 
way out of the cave. Horrors thickened upon him 
as he fled. He beheld direful phantoms glaring and 
gibbering around him, and heard the sound of pur- 
suit in the echoes of his footsteps. He reached his 
home overcome with aflright ; several hours elapsed 
before he could recover speech to tell his story, and 
he died on the following day. 

The judicious Don Pedro de Roxas holds the ac- 
count of the buried treasure for fabulous, but the 
adventure of this unlucky man for very possible — 
being led on by avarice, or rather the hope of re- 
trieving a desperate fortune. He, moreover, pro- 
nounces his dying shortly after coming forth as very 
probable ; because the darkness of the cave, its cold- 
ness, the fright at finding the bones, the dread of 
meeting the imaginary dog, all joining to operate 
upon a man who was past the prime of his days, 
and enfeebled by poverty and scanty food, might 
easily cause his death. 

Many have considered this cave as intended orig- 
inally for a sally or retreat from the city in case it 
8 



114 THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK. 

should be taken ; an opinion rendered probable, it is 
thought, by its grandeur and great extent. 

The learned Salazar de Mendoza, however, in his 
history of the grand cardinal of Spain, affirms it as 
an established fact, that it was first wrought out of 
the rock by Tubal, the son of Japhet, and grandson 
of ^oah, and afterwards repaired and greatly aug- 
mented by Hercules the Egyptian, who made it his 
habitation after he had erected his pillars at the 
Straits of Gibraltar. Here, too, it is said, he read 
magic to his followers, and taught them those super- 
natural arts by which he accomplished his vast 
achievements. Others think that it was a temple 
dedicated to Hercules, as was the case, according to 
Pomponius Mela, with the great cave in the rock of 
Gibraltar; certain it is, that it has always borne the 
name of " The Cave of Hercules." 

There are not wanting some who have insinuated 
that it was a work dating from the time of the Ro- 
mans, and intended as a cloaca or sewer of the city ; 
but such a groveling insinuation will be treated with 
proper scorn by the reader, after the nobler purposes 
to which he has heard this marvelous cavern conse- 
crated. 

From all the ch'cumstances here adduced from 
learned and reverend authors, it will be perceived 
that Toledo is a city fruitful of marvels, and that the 
necromantic tower of Hercules has more solid foun- 
dation than most edifices of similar import in ancient 
liistory. 

The writer of these pages will venture to add the 
result of his personal researches respecting the far- 
famed cavern in question. Rambling about Toledo 
in the year 1826, in company with a small knot of 
antiquity hunters, among whom were an eminent 
British painter, ■•• and an English nobleman,*^ who has 
1 Mr. D. W— kie. 3 Lord Mali— n. 



THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK, 115 

since distinguished himself in Spanish historical re- 
search, we directed our steps to the church of San 
Gines, and inquired for the portal of the secret 
cavern. The sacristan was a voluble and communi- 
cative man, and one not likely to be niggard of his 
tongue about anything he knew, or slow to boast of 
any marvel pertaining to his church ; but he pro- 
fessed utter ignorance of the existence of any such 
portal. He remembered to have heard, however, 
that immediately under the entrance to the church 
there was an arch of mason work, apparently the 
upper part of some subterranean portal; but that 
all had been covered up and a pavement laid down 
thereon ; so that whether it led to the magic cave or 
the necromantic tower remains a mystery, and so 
must remain until some monarch or archbishop shall 
again have courage and authority to break the spelL 




LEGEND 



SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 



(^^^ 



LEGEND 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN.* 




CHAPTER L 

Consternation of Spain.— Conduct of the Conquerors.— 
Missives between Taric and Muza. 

HE overthrow of King Roderick and his 
army on the banks of the Guadalete, 
threw open all southern Spain to the 
inroads of the Moslems. The whole country fled 
before them ; villages and hamlets were hastily 
abandoned ; the inhabitants placed their aged and 
infirm, their waives and children, and their most 
precious effects, on mules and other beasts of bur- 

1 In this legend most of the facts respecting the Arab in- 
roads into Spain are on the authority of Arabian writers, who 
had the most accurate means of information. Those relative 
to the Spaniards are chiefly from old Spanish chronicles. It 
is to be remarked that the Arab accounts have most the air of 
v^erity, and the events as they relate them are in the ordinary 
course of common life. The Spanish accounts? on the con- 
trary, are full of the marvelous; for there were no greater ro- 
mancers than the monkish chroniclers. 



120 THE SUBJUGATICN OF SPAIN. 

den, and, driving before them their flocks and 
herds, made for distant parts of the land, for the 
fastnesses of the mountains, and for such of the 
cities as yet possessed walls and bulwarks. Many 
gave out, faint and weary, by the way, and fell 
into the hands of the enemy ; others, at the dis- 
tant sight of a turban or a Moslem standard, or 
on hearing the clangor of a trumpet, abandoned 
their flocks and herds and hastened their flight 
with their families. If their pursuers gained 
upon them, they threw by their household goods 
and whatever was of burden, and thought them- 
selves fortunate to escape, naked and destitute, to a 
place of refuge. Thus the roads were covered 
with scattered flocks and herds, and with spoil of 
all kinds. 

The Arabs, however, were not guilty of wanton 
cruelty or ravage ; on the contrary, they con- 
ducted themselves with a moderation but seldom 
witnessed in more civilized conquerors. Taric el 
Tuerto, though a thorough man of the sword, 
and one whose whole thoughts were warlike, yet 
evinced wonderful judgment and discretion. He 
checked the predatory habits of his troops with a 
rigorous hand. They were forbidden, under pain 
of severe punishment, to molest any peaceable and 
unfortified towns, or any unarmed and unresisting 
people, who remained quiet in their homes. No 
spoil was permitted to be made, excepting in 
fields of battle, in camps of routed foes, or in 
cities taken by the sword. 

Taric had little need to exercise his severity ; 
his orders were obeyed through love, rather than 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 121 

fear, for he was the idol of his soldiery. TheJ 
admired his restless and daring spirit, which noth- 
ing could dismay. His gaunt and sinewy form, 
his fiery eye, his visage seamed with scars, were 
suited to the hardihood of his deeds ; and when 
mounted on his foaming steed, careering the field 
of battle with quivering lance or flashing scimetar, 
his Arabs would greet him with shouts of enthu- 
siasm. But what endeared him to them more 
than all was his soldier-like contempt of gain. 
Conquest was his only passion : glory the only 
reward he coveted. As to the spoil of the con- 
quered, he shared it freely among his followers, 
and squandered his own portion with open-handed 
generosity. 

While Taric was pushing his triumphant course 
through Andalusia, tidings of his stupendous vic- 
tory on the banks of the Guadalete were carried 
to Muza ben Nosier. Messenp^er after messeno^er 
arrived, vying who should most extol the achieve- 
ments of the conqueror and the grandeur of the 
conquest. " Taric," said they, " has overthrown 
the whole force of the unbelievers in one mighty 
battle. Their king is slain ; thousands and tens 
of thousands of their warriors are destroyed ; the 
whole land lies at our mercy ; and city after city 
is surrendering to the victorious arms of Taric." 

The heart of Muza ben Nosier sickened at 
these tidings, and, instead of rejoicing at the suc- 
cess of the cause of Islam, he trembled with 
jealous fear lest the triumphs of Taric in Spain 
should eclipse his own victories in Africa. He 
dispatched missives to the Caliph Waled Alman- 



122 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 

zor, informing him of these new conquests, but 
taking the whole glory to himself, and making no 
mention of the services of Taric ; or at least, only 
mentioning him incidentally as a subordinate 
commander. " The battles," said he, " have been 
terrible as the day of judgment; but by the aid 
of Allah we have gained the victory." 

He then prepared in all haste to cross over into 
Spain and assume the command of the conquer- 
ing army ; and he wrote a letter in advance to 
interrupt Taric in the midst of his career. 
" Wherever this letter may find thee," said he, 
'^ I charge thee halt with thy army and await my 
coming. Thy force is inadequate to the subjuga- 
tion of the land, and by rashly venturing, thou 
mayst lose everything. I will be with thee 
speedily, with a reinforcement of troops compe- 
tent to so great an enterprise." 

The letter overtook the veteran Taric while in 
the full glow of triumphant success, having over- 
run some of the richest part of Andalusia, and 
just received the surrender of the city of Ecija. 
As he read the letter the blood mantled in his 
sunburnt cheek and fire kindled in his eye, for he 
penetrated the motives of Muza. He suppressed 
his wrath, however, and turning with a bitter ex- 
pression of forced composure to his captains, 
" Unsaddle your steeds," said he, " and plant your 
lances in the earth ; set up your tents and take 
your repose, for we must await the coming of the 
Wall with a mighty force to assist us in our con- 
quest." 

The Arab warriors broke forth with loud mur- 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 12S 

murs at these words. " What need have we of 
aid," cried they, " when the whole country is fly- 
ing before us ; and what better commander can 
we have than Taric to lead us on to victory?" 

Count Julian, also, who was present, now has- 
tened to give his traitorous counsel. 

" Why pause," cried he, " at this precious 
moment ? The great army of the Goths is van- 
quished, and their nobles are slaughtered or dis- 
persed. Follow up your blow before the land 
can recover from its panic. Overrun the prov- 
inces, seize upon the cities, make yourself master 
of the capital, and your conquest is complete." ^ 

The advice of Julian was applauded by all the 
Arab chieftains, who were impatient of any inter- 
ruption in their career of conquest. Taric was 
easily persuaded to what was the wish of his 
heart. Disregarding the letter of Muza, there- 
fore, he prepared to pursue his victories. For 
this purpose he ordered a review of his troops on 
the plain of Ecija. Some were mounted on 
steeds which they had brought from Africa ; the 
rest he supplied with horses taken from the 
Christians. He repeated his general orders, that 
they should inflict no wanton injury, nor plunder 
any place that offered no resistance. They were 
forbidden, also, to encumber themselves with 
booty, or even with provisions ; but were to 
scour the country with all speed, and seize upon 
all its fortresses and strongholds. 

He then divided his host into three several 
armies. One he placed under the command of 
1 Conde, p. 1, c 10. 



124 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

the Greek renegado, Maguel el Eumi, a man of 
desperate courage ; and sent it against the ancient 
city of Cordova. Another was sent against 
the city of Malaga, and was led by Zayd ben 
Kesadi, aided by the Bishop Oppas. The third 
was led by Taric himself, and with this he deter- 
mined to make a wide sweep through the king- 
dom. 1 

1 Chronica de Espana^ de Alonzo el Sabio. P. 3, c 1. 






CHAPTER II. 

Capture of Granada. — Subjugation of the Alpuxarra Moun- 
taius. 

HE terror of the arms of Taric ben 
Zeyad went before him ; and, at the 
same time, the report of his lenity to 
those who submitted without resistance. Wher- 
ever he appeared, the towns, for the most part, 
sent forth some of their principal inhabitants to 
proffer a surrender ; for they were destitute of 
fortifications, and their fighting men had perished 
in battle. They were all received into allegiance 
to the Caliph, and were protected from pillage or 
molestation. 

After marching some distance through the 
country, he entered one day a vast and beautiful 
plain, interspersed with villages, adorned with 
groves and gardens, watered by winding rivers, 
and surrounded by lofty mountains. It was the 
famous vega, or plain of Granada, destined to be 
for ages the favorite abode of the Moslems. 
When the Arab conquerors beheld this delicious 
vega, they were lost in admiration ; for it seemed 
as if the Prophet had given them a paradise on 
eaith, as a reward for their services in his cause. 



126 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAllf, 

Taric approached the city of Granada, which 
had a formidable aspect, seated on lofty hills and 
fortified with Gothic walls and towers, and with 
the red castle or citadel, built in times of old by 
the Phoenicians or the Romans. As the Arab 
chieftain eyed the place, he was pleased with its 
stern warrior look, contrasting with the smiling 
beauty of its vega, and the freshness and volup- 
tuous abundance of its hills and valleys. He 
pitched his tents before its walls, and made pre- 
parations to attack it with all his force. 

The city, however, bore but the semblance of 
power. The flower of its youth had perished in 
the battle of the Guadalete ; many of the princi- 
pal inhabitants had fled to the mountains, and few 
remained in the city excepting old men, women, 
and children, and a number of Jews, which last 
were well disposed to take part with the conquer- 
ors. The city, therefore, readily capitulated, and 
was received into vassalage on favorable terms. 
The inhabitants were to retain their property, 
their laws, and their religion ; their churches and 
priests were to be respected ; and no other tribute 
was required of them than such as they had been 
accustomed to pay to their Gothic kings. 

On taking possession of Granada, Taric garri- 
soned the towers and castles, and left as alcayde 
or governor a chosen warrior named Betiz Aben 
Habuz, a native of Arabia Felix, who had dis- 
tinguished himself by his valor and abilities. This 
alcayde subsequently made himself king of Gra- 
nada, and built a palace on one of its hills; the 



TEE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 127 

remains of which may be seen at the present 
day.^ 

Even the delights of Granada had no power 
to detain the active and ardent Taric. To the 
east of the city he beheld a lofty chain of moun- 
tains, towering to the sky, and crowned with shin- 
ino' snow. Tliese were the " Mountains of the 
San and Air;" and the perpetual snows on their 
summits gave birth to streams that fertilized the 
plains. In their bosoms, shut up among cliffs 
and precipices, were many small valleys of great 
beauty and abundance. The inhabitants were a 
bold and hardy race, who looked upon their 
mountains as everlasting fortresses that could 
never be taken. The inhabitants of the sur- 
rounding country had fled to these natural fast- 
nesses for refuge, and driven thither their flocks 
and herds. 

1 The house shown as the ancient residence of Aben Habuz 
is called la Casa del Gallo, or the house of the weathercock; 
so named, says Pedraza, in his history of Granada, from a 
bronze figure of an Arab horseman, armed with lance and 
buckler, which once surmounted it, and which varied with 
every wind. On this warlike weathercock was inscribed, la 
Arabic characters, — 

" Dice el sabio Aben Habuz 
Que asi se defiende el Andaluz." 

(In this way, says Aben Habuz the Wise, 

The Andalusian his foe defies.) 
The Casa del Gallo, even until within twenty years, possessed 
two great halls beautifully decorated with morisco reliefs. It 
then caught fire and was so damaged as to require to be nearly 
rebuilt. It is now a manufactory of coarse canvas, and has 
nothing of the Moorish character remaining. It commands a 
beautiful view of the city and the vega. 



128 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 

Taric felt that the dominion he had acquired of 
the plains would be insecure until he had pene- 
trated and subdued these haughty mountains. 
Leaving Aben Hahuz, therefore, in command of 
Granada, he marched with his army across the 
vega, and entered the folds of the sierra, which 
stretch towards the south. The inhabitants fled 
with affright on hearing the Moorish trumpets, or 
beholding the approach of the turbaned horse- 
men, and plunged deeper into the recesses of 
their mountains. As the army advanced, the 
roads became more and more rugged and diffi- 
cult ; sometimes climbing great rocky heights, and 
at other times descending abruptly into deep ra- 
vines, the beds of winter torrents. Tbe mountains 
were strangely wild and sterile ; broken into cliffs 
and precipices of variegated marble. At their 
feet were little valleys, enameled with groves and 
gardens, interlaced with silver streams, and stud- 
ded with villages and hamlets, — but all deserted 
by their inhabitants. No one appeared to dis- 
pute the inroad of the Moslems, who continued 
their march with increasing confidence, their pen- 
nons fluttering from rock and cliff, and the val- 
leys echoing to the din of trumpet, drum, and 
cymbal. At length they came to a defile where 
the mountains seemed to have been rent asunder 
to make way for a foaming torrent. The narrow 
and broken road wound along the dizzy edge of 
precipices, until it came to where a bridge was 
thrown across the chasm. It was a fearful and 
gloomy pass ; great beetling cliffs overhung the 
mad, and iXnt torrent roared below. This awful 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 129 

Jeiile has ever been famous in tlie warlike his- 
tory of those mountains, by the name, in former 
times, of the Barranco de Tocos, and at present 
of the Bridge of Table te. The Saracen array 
entered fearlessly into the pass ; a part had al- 
ready crossed the bridge, and was slowly toiling 
up the rugged road on the opposite side, when 
great shouts arose, and every cliff appeared sud- 
denly peopled with furious foes. In an instant 
a deluge of missiles of every sort was rained 
upon the astonished Moslems. Darts, arrows, 
javelins, and stones, came whistling down, sin- 
gling out the most conspicuous cavaliers ; and 
at times great masses of rock, bounding and 
tliundering along the mountain side, crushed whole 
ranks at once, or hurled horses and riders over 
the edge of the precipices. 

It was in vain to attempt to brave this moun- 
tain warfare. The enemy were beyond the reach 
of missiles, and safe from pursuit ; and the horses 
of the Arabs were here an incumbrance rather 
than an aid. The trumpets sounded a retreat, 
and the army retired in tumult and confusion, 
harassed by the enemy until extricated from the 
defile. Taric, who had beheld cities and castles 
surrendering without a blow, was enraged at being 
braved by a mere horde of mountain boors, and 
made another attempt to penetrate the mountains, 
but was again waylaid and opposed with horrible 
slaughter. 

The fiery son of Ishmael foamed with rage at 
being thus checked in his career and foiled in his 
revenge. He was on the point of abandoning the 
9 



130 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 

attempt, and returning to the vega, when a Chris- 
tian boor sought his camp, and was admitted to 
his presence. The miserable wretch possessed a 
cabin and a little patch of ground among the 
mountains, and offered, if these should be pro- 
tected from ravage, to inform the Arab comman- 
der of a way by which troops of horse might be 
safely introduced into the bosom of the sierra, 
and the whole subdued. The name of this cai- 
tiff was Fandino, and it deserves to be perpetu- 
ally recorded with ignominy. His case is an in- 
stance how much it is in the power, at times, of 
the most insignificant being to do mischief, and 
how all the valor of the magnanimous and the 
brave may be defeated by the treason of the self- 
ish and the despicable. 

Instructed by this traitor, the Arab commander 
caused ten thousand foot- soldiers and four thous- 
and horsemen, commanded by a valiant captain, 
named Ibrahim Albuxarra, to be conveyed by sea 
to the little port of Adra, at the Mediterranean 
foot of the mountains. Here they landed, and, 
guided by the traitor, penetrated to the heart of 
the sierra, laying everything waste. The brave 
mountaineers, thus hemaied in between two ar- 
mies, destitute of fortresses and without hope of 
succor, were obliged to capitulate ; but their valor 
was not without avail, for never, even in Spain," 
did vanquished people surrender on prouder or 
more honorable terms. We have named the 
wretch who betrayed his native mountains ; let 
us equally record the name of him whose pious 
patriotism saved them from desolation. It was the 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 131 

reverend Bishop Centerio. While the warriors 
rested on their arms in grim and menacing tran- 
quillity among the cliffs, this venerable prelate 
descended to the Arab tents in the valley, to con- 
duct the capitulation. In stipulating for the 
safety of his people, he did not forget that they 
were brave men, and that they still had weapons 
in their hands. He obtained conditions accord- 
ingly. It was agreed that they should be per- 
mitted to retain their houses, lands, and personal 
effects ; that they should be unmolested in their 
religion, and their temples and priests respected ; 
and that they should pay no other tribute than 
such as they had been accustomed to render to 
their kings.*" Should they prefer to leave the 
country and remove to any part of Christendom, 
they were to be allowed to sell their possessions, 
and to take with them the money, and all their 
other effects.^ 

Ibrahim Albuxarra remained in command of 
the territory, and the whole sierra, or chain of 
mountains, took his name, which has since been 
slightly corrupted into that of the Alpuxarras. 
The subjugation of this rugged region, however, 
was for a long time incomplete ; many of the 
Christians maintained a wild and hostile indepen- 
dence, living in green glens and scanty valleys 
among the heights ; and the sierra of the Alpux- 
arras has in all ages been one of the most diffi- 
cult parts of Andalusia to be subdued. 

1 Pedra'.a, Hist Granad. p. 3, c. 2. Bleda, Cronica^ L 2 
clO. 




CHAPTEK in. 

Expedition of Magued against Cordova. — Defense of the 
Patriot Pelistes. 

pHILE the veteran Taric was making 
this wide circuit through the land, the 
expedition under Magued the renegade 
proceeded against the city of Cordova. The in- 
habitants of that ancient place had beheld the 
great army of Don Roderick spreading like an 
inundation over the plain of the Guadalquivir, 
and had felt confident that it must sweep the in- 
fidel invaders from the land. What then was 
their dismay when scattered fugitives, wild with 
horror and affright, brought them tidings of the 
entire overthrow of that mighty host, and the 
disappearance of the king ! In the midst of their 
consternation, the Gothic noble Pelistes arrived 
at their gates, haggard with fatigue of body and 
anguish of mind, and leading a remnant of his 
devoted cavaliers, who had survived the dreadful 
battle of the Guadalete. The people of Cordova 
knew the valiant and steadfast spirit of Pelistes, 
and rallied round him as a last hope. " Roderick 
is fallen," cried they, " and we have neither king 
nor captain ; be unto us as a sovereign ; take 
command of our city, and protect us in this hour 
of pern ! " 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 133 

The lieart of Pelistes was free from ambition, 
and was too much broken by grief to be flattered 
by the offer of command ; but he felt above 
everything for the woes of his country, and was 
ready to assume any desperate service in her 
cause. " Your city," said he, " is surrounded by 
walls and towers, and may yet check the progress 
of the foe. Promise to stand by me to the last, 
and I will undertake your defense." The inhab- 
itants all promised implicit obedience and devoted 
zeal ; for what will not the inhabitants of a 
wealthy city promise and profess in a moment of 
alaim? The instant, however, that they heard 
of the approach of the Moslem troops, the 
wealthier citizens packed up their effects and fled 
to the mountains, or to the distant city of Toledo. 
Even the monks collected the riches of their con- 
vents and churches, and fled. Pelistes, though 
he saw himself thus deserted by those who had 
the greatest interest in the safety of the city, yet 
determined not to abandon its defense. He had 
still his faithful though scanty band of cavaliers, 
and a number of fugitives of the army, in all 
amounting to about four hundred men. He sta- 
tioned guards, therefore, at the gates and in the 
towers, and made every preparation for a des- 
perate resistance. 

In the mean time, the army of Moslems and 
apostate Christians advanced, under the command 
of the Greek renegado Magued, and guided by 
the traitor Julian. While they were yet at some 
distance from the city, their scouts brought to 
them a shepherd, whom they had surprise(i' on 



134 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

the banks of the Guadalquivir. The trembling 
hind was an inhabitant of Cordova, and revealed 
to them the state of the place and the weakness 
of its garrison. 

" And the walls and gates," said Magued, " are 
they strong and well guarded ? " 

" The walls are high and of wondrous strength," 
replied the shepherd, " and soldiers hold watch at 
the gates by day and night. But there is one 
place whei-e the city may be secretly entered. In 
a part of the wall, not far from the bridge, the 
battlements are broken, and there is a breach at 
some height from the ground. Hard by stands a 
fig-tree, by the aid of which the wall may easily 
be scaled." 

Having received this information, Magued 
halted with his army, and sent forward several 
renegado Christians, partisans of Count Julian, 
who entered Cordova as if flying before the 
enemy. On a dark and tempestuous night, the 
Moslems approached to the end of the bridge 
which crosses the Guadalquivir, and remained in 
ambush. Magued took a small party of chosen 
men, and, guided by the shepherd, forded the 
stream, and groped silently along the wall to the 
place where stood the fig-tree. The traitors, who 
had fraudulently entered the city, were ready on 
the wall to render assistance. Magued ordered 
his followers to make use of the long folds of 
their turbans instead of cords, and succeeded 
without difficulty in clambering into the breach. 

Drawing their scimetars, they now hastened to 
the gate which opened towards the bridge ; the 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 135 

guards, suspecting no assault from within, were 
taken by surprise and easily overpowered; the 
gate was tlm>wn open, and the army that had re- 
mained in ambush rushed over the bridge, and 
entered without opposition. 

The alarm had by this time spread throughout 
the city; but already a torrent of armed men 
was pouring through the streets. Pelistes salhed 
forth with his cavaliers and such of the soldiery 
as he could collect, and endeavored to repel the 
foe ; but every effort was in vain. The Chris- 
tians were slowly driven from street to street and 
square to square, disputing every inch of ground ; 
until, finding another body of the enemy ap- 
proaching to attack them in rear, they took 
refuge in a convent, and succeeded in throwing to 
and barring the ponderous doors. The Moors 
attempted to force the gates, but were assailed 
with such showers of missiles from the windows 
and battlements that they were obliged to retire. 
Pelistes examined the convent, and found it ad- 
mirably calculated for defense. It was of great 
extent, with spacious courts and cloisters. The 
gates were massive, and secured with bolts and 
bars ; the walls were of great thickness ; the 
windows high and grated ; there was a great tank 
or cistern of water, and the friars, who had fled 
from the city, had left behind a good supply of 
provisions. Here, then, Pelistes proposed to 
make a stand, and to endeavor to hold out until 
succor should arrive from some other city. His 
proposition was received with shouts by his loyal 
cavaliers, not one of whom but was ready to lay 
iown his life in the service of his commander. 



CHAPTER IV. 



Defense of the Convent of St. George by Pelistes. 




JlOE; three long and anxious months did 
the good knight Pelistes and his cava- 
liers defend their sacred asylam against 
the repeated assaults of the infidels. The stan- 
dard of the true faith was constantly displayed 
from the loftiest tower, and a fire blazed there 
.hroughout the night, as signals of distress to the 
surrounding country. The watchman from his 
turret kept a wary lookout over the land, hoping 
in every cloud of dust to descry the glittering 
helms of Christian warriors. The country, how- 
ever, was forlorn and abandoned, or if perchance 
a human being was perceived, it was some Arab 
horseman, careering the plain of the Guadal- 
quivir as fearlessly as if it were his native desert. 
By degrees the provisions of the convent were 
consumed, and the cavaliers had to slay theii 
horse-, one by one, for food. They suffered the 
wasting miseries of famine without a murmur^ 
and always met their commander with a smile. 
Pelistes, however, read their sufferings in their 
wan and emaciated countenances, and felt more 
for them than for himself. He was grieved at 
heart that such loyalty and valor should only 
'ead to slavery or death, and resolved to make 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 137 

one desperate attempt for their deliverance. As- 
sembling them one day in the court of the con- 
vent, he disclosed to them his purpose. 

*' Comrades and brothers in arms," said he, " it 
is needless to conceal danger from brave men. 
Our case is desperate ; our countrymen either 
know not or heed not our situation, or have not 
the means to help us. There is but one chance 
of escape ; it is full of peril, and, as your leader, 
I claim the right to brave it. To-morrow, at 
break of day, I will sally forth and make for the 
city gates at the moment of their being opened ; 
no one will suspect a solitary horseman ; I shall 
be taken for one of those recreant Christians who 
have basely mingled with the enemy. If I suc- 
ceed in getting out of the city I will hasten to 
Toledo for assistance. In all events I shall be 
back in less than twenty days. Keep a vigilant 
lookout toward the nearest mountain. If you 
behold five lights blazing upon its summit, be 
assured I am at hand with succor, and prepare 
yourselves to sally forth upon the city as I attack 
the gates. Should I fail in obtaining aid, I will 
return to die with you." 

When he had finished, his warriors would fain 
have severally undertaken the enterprise, and 
they remonstrated against his exposing himself to 
such peril ; but he was not to be shaken from his 
purpose. On the following morning, ere the break 
of day, his horse was led forth, caparisoned, into 
the court of the convent, and Pelistes appeared 
in complete armor. Assembling his cavaliers in 
the chapel, he prayed with them lor some time 



138 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPA.N. 

before the altar of the holy Yirgin. Then rising 
and standing in the midst of them, " God knows, 
my companions," said he, " whether we have any 
longer a country ; if not, better were we in our 
graves. Loyal and true have ye been to me, and 
loyal have ye been to my son, even to the hour of 
his death ; and grieved am I that I have no other 
means of proving my love for you, than by ad- 
venturing my worthless life for your deliverance. 
All I ask of you before I go, is a solemn promise 
to defend yourselves to the last like brave men 
pjid Christian cavaliers, and never to renounce 
your faith, or throw yourselves on the mercy of 
the renegado Magued, or the traitor Julian." 
They all pledged their words, and took a solemn 
oath to the same effect before the altar. 

Pelistes then embraced them one by one, 
and gave them his benediction, and as he did so 
his heart yearned over them, for he felt towards 
them, not merely as a companion in arms and as 
a commander, but as a father ; and he took leave 
of them as if he had been going to his death. 
The warriors, on their part, crowded round him 
in silence, kissing his hands and the hem of his 
surcoat, and many of the sternest shed tears. 

The gray of the dawning had just streaked the 
east, when Pelistes took lance in hand, hung his 
shield about his neck, and mounting his steed, 
issued quietly forth from a postern of the con- 
vent. He paced slowly though the vacant streets, 
and the tramp of his steed echoed afar in that 
silent hour ; but no one suspected a warrior, 
moving thus singly and tranquilly in an armed 



i 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 139 

city, to be an enemy. He arrived at the gate 
just at the hour of opening ; a foraging party was 
entering with cattle and with beasts of burden, 
and he passed unheeded through the throng. As 
soon as he was out of sight of the soldiers who 
guarded the gate, he quickened his pace, and at 
length, galloping at full speed, succeeded in gaining 
the mountains. Here he paused, and alighted at a 
solitary farm-house to breathe his panting steed ; 
but had scarce put foot to ground when he heard 
the distant sound of pursuit, and beheld a horse- 
man spurring up the mountain. 

Throwing himself again upon his steed, he 
abandoned the road and galloped across the rugged 
heights. The deep dry channel of a torrent 
checked his career, and his horse stumbling upon 
the margin, rolled with his rider to the bottom. 
Pelistes was sorely bruised by the fall, and his 
whole visage was bathed in blood. His horse, too, 
was maimed and unable to stand, so that there 
was no hope of escape. The enemy drew near, 
and proved to be no other than Magued the rene- 
gado general, who had perceived him as he issued 
forth from the city and had followed singly in 
pursuit. " Well met, seiior alcaid ! " exclaimed 
he, "and overtaken in good time. Surrender 
jrourself my prisoner." 

Pelistes made no other reply than by drawing 
his sword, bracing his shield, and preparing for 
defense. Magued, though an apostate, and a 
fierce warrior, possessed some sparks of knightly 
magnanimity. Seeing his adversary dismounted, 
he disdained to take him at a disadvantage, but, 
alighting, tied his horse to a tree. 



140 TEE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

The conflict that ensued was desperate and 
doubtful, for seldom had two warriors met so well 
matched or of equal prowess. Their shields were 
hacked to pieces, the ground was strewed with 
fragments of their armor, and stained with their 
blood. They paused repeatedly to take breath, 
reo'ardino: each other with wonder and admiration. 
Pelistes, however, had been previously injured by 
his fall, and fought to great disadvantage. The 
renegado perceived it, and sought not to slay him, 
but to take him alive. .Shifting his ground con- 
tinually, he wearied his antagonist, who was grow- 
ing weaker and weaker from the loss of blood. 
At length Pelistes seemed to summon up all his 
remaining strength to make a signal blow ; it was 
skillfully parried, and he fell prostrate upon the 
ground. The renegado ran up, and putting his 
foot upon his sword, and the point of his scimetar 
to his throat, called upon him to ask his life ; but 
Pelistes lay without sense, and as one dead. 
Magued then unlaced the helmet of his vanquished 
enemy, and seated himself on a rock beside him, 
to recover breath. In this situation the warriors 
were found by certain Moorish cavaliers, who 
marveled much at the traces of that stern and 
bloody combat. 

Finding there was yet life in the Christian 
knight, they laid him upon one of their horses, 
and aiding Magued to remount his steed, pro- 
ceeded slowly to the city. As the convoy passed 
by the convent, the cavaliers looked forth and be- 
held their commander borne along bleeding and a 
captive. Furious at the sight, they sallied forth 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 141 

to the rescue, but were repulsed by a superior 
force and driven back to the great portal of the 
church. The enemy entered pell-mell with them, 
fighting from aisle to aisle, from altar to altar, and 
in the courts and cloisters of the convent. The 
greater part of the cavaliers died bravely, sword 
in hand ; the rest were disabled with wounds and 
made prisoners. The convent, which was lately 
their castle, was now made their prison, and in 
after-times, in commemoration of this event, was 
consecrated by the name of St. George of the 
Captives. 




CHAPTER V. 

Meeting between the Patriot Pelistes and the Traitor Julian. 

HE loyalty and prowess of the good 

knight Pelistes had gained him the rev- 

ij erence even of his enemies. He was 




for a long time disabled by his wounds, during 
which he was kindly treated by the Arab chief- 
tains, who strove by every courteous means to 
cheer his sadness and make him forget that he 
was a captive. When he was recovered from 
his wounds they gave him a magnificent banquet, 
to testify their admiration of his virtues. 

Pelistes appeared at the banquet clad in sable 
armor, and with a countenance pale and dejected, 
for the ills of his country evermore preyed upon 
his heart. Among the assembled guests was 
Count Julian, who held a high command in the 
Moslem army, and was arrayed in garments of 
mingled Christian and morisco fashion. Pelistes 
had been a close and bosom friend of Julian in 
former times, and had served with him in the 
wars in Africa, but when the count advanced to 
accost him with his wonted amity, he turned 
away in silence and deigned not to notice him 
neither, during the whole of the repast, did he 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 143 

address to him ever a word, but treated him as 
one unknown. 

When the banquet was nearly at a close, the 
discourse turned upon the events of the war, and 
the Moslem chieftains, in great courtesy, dwelt 
upon the merits of many of the Christian cav- 
aliers who had fallen in battle, and all extolled 
the valor of those who had recently perished in 
the defense of the convent. Pelistes remained 
silent for a time, and checked the grief which 
swelled within his bosom as he thought of his 
devoted cavaliers. At length, lifting up his 
voice, " Happy are the dead, said he," " for they 
rest in peace, and are gone to receive the reward 
of their piety and valor ! I could mourn over 
the loss of my companions in arms, but they have 
fallen with honor and are spared the wretched- 
ness I feel in witnessing the thraldom of my 
country. I have seen my only son, the pride and 
hope of my age, cut down at my side ; I have 
beheld kindred, friends, and followers falling one 
by one around me, and have become so seasoned 
to those losses that I have ceased to weep. Yet 
there is one man over whose loss I will never 
cease to grieve. He was the loved companion of 
my youth, and the steadfast associate of my 
graver years. He was one of the most loyal of 
Christian knights. As a friend, he was loving 
and sincere ; as a warrior, his achievements were 
above all praise. What has become of him, 
alas, I know not! If fallen in battle, and I 
knew where his bones were laid, whether bleach- 
ing on f-he plains of Xeres or buried in the waters 



144 TEE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

of the Guadalete, I would seek them out and en- 
shrine thorn as the relics of a sainted patriot. Or 
if, like many of his companions in arms, he should 
be driven to wander in foreign lands, I would 
join him in his hapless exile, and we would 
mourn together over the desolation of our coun- 
try!" 

Even the hearts of the Arab warriors were 
touched by the lament of the good Pelistes, and 
they said — '• Who was this peerless friend in whose 
praise thou art so fervent ? " 

" His name," replied Pelistes, " was Count 
Julian." 

Tlie Moslem warriors started with surprise. 
" Noble cavalier," exclaimed they, " has grief 
disordered thy senses ? Behold thy friend living 
and standing before thee, and yet thou dost not 
know him ! This, this is Count Julian ! " 

Upon this, Pelistes turned his eyes upon the 
count, and regarded him for a time with a lofty 
and stern demeanor ; and the countenance of 
Julian darkened, and was troubled, and his eye 
sank beneath the regard of that loyal and honor- 
able cavalier. And Pelistes said, " In the name 
of God, I charge thee, man unknown! to answer. 
Dost thou presume to call thyself Count Julian ? " 

The count reddened w^ith anger at these words. 
" Pelistes," said he, " what means this mockery ? 
thou knowest me well ; thou knowest me for 
Count Julian." 

" I know thee for a base imposter ! " cried Pel- 
istes. " Count Julian was a noble Gothic knight; 
but thou appearest in mongrel Moorish garb. 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 145 

Count Julian was a Christian, faithful and devout ; 
but I behold in thee a renegado and an infidel. 
Count Julian was ever loyal to his king, and fore- 
most in his country's cause ; were he living, he 
would be the first to put shield on neck and lance 
in rest, to clear the land of her invaders ; but 
thou art a hoary traitor ; thy hands are stained 
with the royal blood of the Goths, and thou hast 
betrayed thy country and thy God. Therefore, I 
again repeat, man unknown ! if thou sayest thou 
art Count Julian, thou liest ! My friend, alas, is 
dead ; and thou art some fiend from hell, which 
hast taken possession of his body to dishonor his 
memory and render him an abhorrence among 
men ! " So saying, Pelistes turned his back upon 
the traitor, and went forth from the banquet; 
leaving Count Julian overwhelmed with confusion, 
and an object of scorn to all the Moslem cav- 
aliers. 



10 





CHAPTEE VI. 

(? )w Taric El Tuerto captured the City of Toledo through 
the aid of the Jews, and how he found the famous Talis- 
manic Table of Solomon. 

jlHILE these events were passing in Cor- 
dova, the one-eyed Arab general, Taric 
el Tuerto, having subdued the city and 
voga of Granada, and the Mountains of the Sun 
and Air, directed his march into the interior of 
the kingdom, to attack the ancient city of Toledo, 
the capital of the Gothic kings. So great was 
the terror caused by the rapid conquests of the 
invaders, that at the very rumor of their ap- 
proach many of the inhabitants, though thus in 
the very citadel of the kingdom, abandoned it 
and fled to the mountains with their families. 
Enough remained, however, to have made a for- 
midable defense ; and, as the city was seated on 
a lofty rock, surrounded by massive walls and 
towers, and almost girdled by the Tagus, it 
threatened a long resistance. The Arab wai- 
riors pitched their tents in the vega, on the bor- 
ders of the river, and prepared for a tedious 
siege. 

One evening, as Taric was seated in his tent, 
neditating on the mode in which he should assail 
».his rock-built city, certain of the patrols of the 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 147 

camp brought a stranger before him. "As we 
were going our rounds," said they, " we beheld 
this man lowered down with cords from a tower, 
and he delivered himself into our hands, praying 
to be conducted to thy presence, that he might 
reveal to thee certain things important for thee 
to know." 

Taric fixed his eyes upon the stranger ; he wa? 
a Jewish rabbi, with a long beard which spread 
upon his gabardine, and descended even to his 
girdle. " What hast thou to reveal ? " said he to 
the Israelite. " What I have to reveal," replied 
the other, " is for thee alone to hear ; command, 
then, I entreat thee, that these men withdraw." 
When they were alone he addressed Taric in 
Arabic : " Know, leader of the host of Islam," 
said he, " that I am sent to thee on the part of 
the children of Israel, resident in Toledo. We 
have been oppressed and insulted by the Chris- 
tians in the time of their prosperity, and now 
that they are threatened with siege, they have/" 
taken from us all our provisions and our money ; 
they have compelled us to work like slaves, re- 
pairing their walls; and they oblige us to bear 
arms and guard a part of the towers. We abhor 
their yoke, and are ready, if thou wilt receive us 
as subjects, and permit us the free enjoyment of 
our religion and our property, to deliver the 
towers we guard into thy hands, and to give thee 
safe entrance into the city." 

The Arab chief was overjoyed at this proposi- 
tion, and he rendered much honor to the rabbi, 
^nd gave orders to clothe him in a costly robe, 



148 TEE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

and to perfume his beard with essences of a 
pleasant odor, so that he was the most sweet- 
smelling of his tribe ; and he said, " Make thy 
words good, and put me in possession of the city, 
and 1 will do all and more than thou hast re- 
quired, and will bestow countless wealth upon 
thee and thy brethren/' 

Then a plan was devised between them by 
which the city was to be betrayed and given up. 
" But how shall I be secured," said he, " that all 
thy tribe will fulfill what thou hast engaged, and 
that this is not a stratagem to get me and my 
people into your power ? " 

" This shall be thy assurance," replied the 
rabbi ; " ten of the principal Israelites will come 
to this tent and remain as hostages." 

"It is enough," said Taric; and he made oath 
to accomplish all that he had promised ; and the 
Jewish hostages came and delivered themselves 
into his hands. 

On a dark night a chosen band of Moslem 
warriors approached the part of the walls guarded 
by the Jews, and were secretly admitted into a 
postern gate and concealed witliin a tower. 
Three thousand Arabs were at the same time 
placed in ambush among rocks and thickets, in a 
place on the opposite side of the river, command- 
ing a view of the city. On the following morn- 
ing Taric ravaged the gardens of the valley, and 
set fire to the farm-houses, and then, breaking up 
6is camp, marched off as if abandoning the siege. 

The people of Toledo gazed with astonishment 
from theii* walls at the retiring squadrons of the 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 149 

enemy, and scarcely could credit their unexpected 
deliverance ; before night there was not a turban 
nor a hostile lance to be seen in the vega. They 
attributed it all to the special intervention of 
their patron saint, Leocadia ; and the following 
day being Palm Sunday, they sallied forth in 
procession, man, woman, and child, to the church 
of that blessed saint, which is situated without 
the walls, that they might return thanks for her 
marvelous protection. 

When all Toledo had thus poured itself forth, 
and was marching with cross and relic and solemn 
chant towards the chapel, the Arabs who had 
been concealed in the tower rushed forth, and 
barred the gates of the city. While some 
guarded the gates, others dispersed themselves 
about the streets, slaying all who made resistance ; 
and others kindled a fire and made a column of 
smoke on the top of the citadel. At sight of 
this signal, the Arabs in ambush beyond the river 
rose with a great shout, and attacked the multi- 
tude who were thronging to the church of St. 
Leocadia. There was a great massacre, although 
the people were without arms and made no re- 
sistance ; and it is said in ancient chronicles that 
it was the apostate Bishop Oppas who guided the 
Moslems to their prey, and incited them to this 
slaughter. The pious reader, says Fray Antonio 
Agapida, will be slow to believe such turpitude ; 
but there is nothing more venomous than the 
mncor of an apostate priest; for the best things 
in this world, when corrupted, become the worst 
and most baneful. 



150 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. ^ 

Many of the Christians had taken refuge 
within the church, and had barred the doors, but 
Oppas commanded that fire should be set to the 
portals, threatening to put every one within to 
the sword. Happily the veteran Taric arrived 
just in time to stay the fury of this reverend 
renegado. He ordered the trumpets to call off 
the troops from the carnage, and extended grace 
to all the surviving inhabitants. They were per- 
mitted to remain in quiet possession of their 
homes and effects, paying only a moderate trib- 
ute ; and they were allowed to exercise the rites 
of their religion in the existing churches, to the 
number of seven, but were prohibited from erect- 
ing any others. Those who preferred to leave 
the city were suffered to depart in safety, but not 
to take with them any of their wealth. 

Immense spoil was found by Taric in the 
alcazar, or royal castle, situated on a rocky emi- 
nence in the highest part of the city. Among 
the regalia treasured up in a secret chamber were 
twenty-five regal crowns of fine gold, garnished 
with jacinths, amethysts, diamonds, and other 
precious stones. These were the crowns of the 
different Gothic kings who had reigned in Spain ; 
it having been the usage on the death of each 
king to deposit his crown in this treasury, in- 
scribing on it his name and age.^ 

When Taric was thus in possession of the city, 
the Jews came to him in procession, with songs 
and dances and the sound of timbrel and psaltery", 

1 Conde Eist. de las Arabes en Espafia, c. 12. 



TEE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 151 

hailing him as their lord, and reminding him of 
his promises. 

The son of Ishmael kept his word with the 
children of Israel ; they were protected in the 
possession of all their wealth and the exercise of 
their religion, and were, moreover, rewarded with 
jewels of gold and jewels of silver and much 
moneys.-'- 

A subsequent expedition was led by Taric 
against Guadalaxara, which surrendered without 
resistance ; he moreover captured the city of 
Medina Celi, where he found an inestimable table 
which had formed a part of the spoil taken at 
Rome by Alaric, at the time that the sacred city 
was conquered by the Goths. It was composed 
of one single and entire emerald, and possessed 
talismanic powers ; for traditions affirm that it was 
the work of genii, and had been wrought by them 
for King Solomon the Wise, the son of David. 
This marvelous relic was carefully preserved by 
Taric, as the most precious of all his spoils, being 
intended by him as a present to the caliph ; and 
in commemoration of it the city was called by the 
Arabs Medina Almeyda, — that is to say, " The 
City of the Table." ^ 

1 The stratagem of the Jews of Toledo is recorded briefly 
by Bishop Lucas de Tuy, in his chronicle, but is related at 
large in the chronicle of the Moor Rasis. 

2 According to Arabian legends, this table was a mirror re- 
vealing all great events; insomuch that by looking on it the 
possessor might behold battles and sieges and feats of chivalr}% 
^nd all actions worthy of renown ; and might thus ascertain 
the truth of all historic transactions. It was a mirror of 
history therefore: and had very probably aided King Solomon 



152 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 



Having made these and other conquests of less 
importance, and having collected great quantities 
of gold and silver, and rich stuffs and precious 
stones, Taric returned with his booty to the royal 
city of Toledo. 

in acquiring that prodigious knowledge and wisdom for which 
he was renowned. 




CHAPTER VII. 



Musa ben Nosier; His Entrance into Spain and Capture of 
Carmona. 



ET US leave for a season the bold Taric 

in his triumphant progress from city to 

ij city, while we turn our eyes to Muza 




ben Nosier, the renowned emir of Almagreb, and 
the commander-in-chief of the Moslem forces of 
the West. When that jealous chieftain had dis- 
patched his letter commanding Taric to pause and 
await his coming, he immediately made every 
preparation to enter Spain with a powerful rein- 
forcement, and to take command of the conquer- 
ing army. He left his eldest son, Abdalasis, in 
Caervan, with authority over Almagreb, or West- 
ern Africa. This Abdalasis was in the flower of 
his youth, and beloved hf the soldiery for the 
magnanimity and the engaging affability which 
graced his courage. 

Muza ben Nosier crossed the Strait of Hercules 
with a chosen force of ten thousand horse and 
eight thousand foot, Arabs and Africans. He 
was accompanied by his two sons, Meruan and 
Abdelola, and by numerous illustrious Arabian 
cavaliers of the tribe of the Koreish. He landed 
his shining legions on the coast of Andalusia, 
and pitched his tents near to the Guadiana. 



154 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 

There first he received intelligence of the dis- 
obedience of Taric to his orders, and that, with- 
out waiting his arrival, the impetuous chieftain 
had continued his career, and with his light Arab 
squadrons had overrun and subdued the noblest 
provinces and cities of the kingdom. 

The jealous spirit of Muza was still more ex- 
asperated by these tidings ; he looked upon Taric 
no longer as a friend and coadjutor, but as an in- 
vidious rival, the decided enemy of his glory, and 
he determined on his ruin. His first considera- 
tion, however, was to secure to himself a share in 
the actual conquest of the land before it should 
be entirely subjugated. 

Taking guides, therefore, from among his 
Christian captives, he set out to subdue such 
parts of the country as had not been visited by 
Taric. The first place which he assailed was the 
ancient city of Carmona ; it was not of great 
magnitude, but was fortified with high walls and 
massive towers, and many of the fugitives of the 
late army had thrown themselves into it. 

The Goths had by this time recovered from 
their first panic ; they had become accustomed to 
the sight of Moslem troops, and their native 
courage had been roused by danger. Shortly 
after the Arabs had encamped before their walls, 
a band of cavaliers made a sudden sally one 
morning before the break of day, fell upon the 
enemy by surprise, killed above three hundred of 
them in their tents, and effected their retreat into 
the city ; leaving twenty of their number dead, 
covered with honorable wounds, and in the very 
centre of the camp. 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 155 

On the following day they made another sally, 
and fell on a different quarter of the encamp- 
ment ; but the Arabs were on their guard, and 
met them with superior numbers. After fighting 
fiercely for a time, they were routed, and fled 
full speed for the city, with the Arabs hard upon 
their traces. The guards within feared to open 
the gate, lest with their friends they should admit 
a torrent of enemies. Seeincr themselves thus 
shut out, the fugitives determined to die like 
brave soldiers rather than surrender. Wheeling 
suddenly round, they opened a path through the 
host of their pursuers, fought their way back to 
the camp, and raged about it with desperate fury 
until they were all slain, after having killed above 
eight hundred of the enemy.^ 

Muza now ordered that the place should be 
taken by storm. The Moslems assailed it on all 
sides, but were vigorously resisted ; many wei'e 
slain by showers of stones, arrows, and boiling 
pitch, and many who had mounted with scaling- 
ladders were thrown headlong from the battle- 
ments. The alcayde, Galo, aided solely by two 
men, defended a tower and a portion of the wall, 
killing and wounding with a cross-bow more than 
eighty of the enemy. The attack lasted above 
half a day, when the Moslems were repulsed with 
the loss of fifteen hundred men. 

Muza was astonished and exasperated at meet- 
ing with such formidable resistance from so small 
ft city ; for it was one of the few places, during 
that memorable conquest, where the Gothic valor 
1 Abulf-asim, Perdida de Espana^ L. 1 c 13. 



156 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 

shone forth with its proper lustre. While the 
Moslem army lay encamped before the place, it 
was joined by Magued the renegado, and Count 
Julian the traitor, with one thousand horsemen ; 
most of them recreant Christians, base betrayers 
of their country, and more savage in their war- 
fare than the Arabs of the desert. To find favor 
in the eyes of Muza, and to evince his devotion 
to the cause, the count undertook, by wily strata- 
gem, to put this gallant city in his power. 

One evening, just at twilight, a number of 
Christians, habited as travelling merchants, ar- 
rived at one of the gates, conducting a train of 
mules laden with arms and warlike munitions. 
" Open the gate quickly," cried they ; ** we bring 
supplies for the garrison, but the Arabs have dis- 
covered and are in pursuit of us." The gate 
was thrown open, the merchants entered with 
their beasts of burden, and were joyfully received. 
Meat and drink were placed before them, and 
after they had refreshed themselves they retired 
to the quarters allotted to them. 

These pretended merchants were Count Julian 
and a number of his partisans. At the hour of 
midnight they stole forth silently, and assembling 
together, proceeded to what is called the Gate of 
Cordova. Here setting suddenly upon the unsus- 
pecting guards, they put them to the edge of the 
sword, and throwing open the gates, admitted a 
great body of the Arabs. The inhabitants were 
roused from their sleep by sound of drum and 
trumpet and the clattering of horses. The Arabs 
scoured the streets ; a horrible massacre was com- 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 157 

menced, in which none were spared but such of 
the females as were young and beautiful, and 
fitted to grace the harems of the conquerors. 
The arrival of Muza put an end to the pillage 
and the slaughter, and he granted favorable terms 
to the survivors. Thus the valiant little city of 
Carmona, after nobly resisting the open assaults 
of the infidels, fell a victim to the treachery of 
apostate Christians.-^ 

I Cron, gen. de U^ana, por Alonzo el Sal'^. P. 8, c !• 



'W 




CHAPTER VIII. 

Miiza marches against the City of Seville. 



FTER the capture of Carmona,Muza de- 
scended into a noble plain, covered with 
fields of grain, with orchards and gardens, 
through which glided the soft-flowing Guadalquivir. 
On the borders of the river stood the ancient city of 
Seville, surrounded by Roman walls, and defended 
by its golden tower. Understanding from his 
spies that the city had lost the flower of its youth 
in the battle of the Guadalete, Muza anticipated 
but a faint resistance. A considerable force, 
however, still remained within the place, and 
what they wanted in numbers they made up in 
resolution. For some days they withstood the 
assaults of the enemy, and defended their walls 
with great courage. Their want of warlike 
munitions, however, and the superior force and 
skill of the besieging army, left them no hope of 
being able to hold out long. There were two 
youthful cavaliers of uncommon valor in the city. 
They assembled the warriors and addressed them. 
^' We cannot save the city," said they ; " but at 
least we may save ourselves, and preserve so 
many strong arms for the service of our country. 
Let us cut our way through the Infidel force, 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 159 

and gain some secure fortress, from whence we 
may return with augmented numbers for the res- 
cue of the city/' 

The advice of the young cavaliers was adopt- 
ed. In the dead of the night the garrison as- 
sembled, to the number of about three thousand, 
— the most part mounted on horseback. Sud- 
denly sallying from one of the gates, they rushed 
in a compact body upon the camp of the Sara- 
cens, which was negligently guarded, for the 
Moslems expected no such act of desperation. 
The camp was a scene of great carnage and con- 
fusion ; many were slain on both sides ; the two 
valiant leaders of the Christians fell covered with 
wounds, but the main body succeeded in forcing 
their way through the centre of the army, and in 
making their retreat to Beja in Lusitania. 

Muza was at a loss to know the meaning of 
this desperate sally. In the morning he perceived 
the gates of the city wide open. A number of 
ancient and venerable men presented themselves 
at his tent, offering submission and imploring 
mercy, for none were left in the place but the 
old, the infirm, and the miserable. Muza listened 
to them with compassion, and granted their 
prayer, and the only tribute he exacted was 
three measures of wheat and three of barley 
from each house or family. He placed a gar- 
rison of Arabs in the city, and left there a num- 
ber of Jews to form a body of population. Having 
thus secured two important places in Andalusia, he 
passed the boundaries of the province, and ad- 
vanced with great martial pomp into Lusitania. 







^^' 


^«»»^B»^ c\r~^ 


>v^^ 


'^/^^^ 


^^ 


^^^ 


i ^^J^/ 




^^^ 


J^\^ 




CHAPTER IX. 

Musa besieges the City of Merida. 

JHE army of Muza was now augmented 
to about eighteen thousand horsemen, 
but he took with him but few foot-sol- 
diers, leaving them to garrison the conquered 
towns. He met with no resistance on his entrance 
into Lusitania, City after city laid its keys at his 
^^^\^ and implored to be received in peaceful vas- 
salage. One city alone prepared for vigorous de- 
fense, the ancient Merida, a place of great ex- 
tent, uncounted riches, and prodigious strength. 
A noble Goth named Sacarus was the governor, 
— a man of consummate wisdom, patriotism, and 
valor. Hearing of the approach of the invaders, 
he gathered within the walls all the people of the 
surrounding country, with their horses and mules, 
their flocks and herds, and most precious effects. 
To insure for a long time a supply of bread, he 
filled the magazines with grain, and erected wind- 
mills on the churches. This done, he laid waste 
the surrounding country to a great extent, so that a 
besieging army would have to encamp in a 
desert. 

When Muza came in sight of this magnificent 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. IGl 

city, be was struck with admiration. He re- 
mained for some time gazing in silence upon its 
mighty walls and lordly towers, its vast extent, 
and the stately palaces and temples with which it 
was adorned. " Surely," cried he, at length, ''all 
the people of the earth have combined their 
power and skill to embelhsh and aggrandize this 
city. Allah Achbar ! Happy will he be who 
shall have the glory of making such a con- 
quest ! " 

Seeing that a place so populous and so strongly 
fortified would be likely to maintain a long and 
formidable resistance, he sent messengers to 
Africa to his son Abdalasis, to collect all the 
forces that could be spared from the garrisons of 
Mauritania, and to hasten and reinforce him. 

While Muza was forming his encampment, de- 
serters from the city brought him word that a 
chosen band intended to sally forth at midnight 
and surprise his camp. The Arab commander 
immediately took measures to receive them with 
a counter surprise. Having formed his plan, and 
communicated it to his principal officers, he or- 
dered that, throughout the day, there should be 
kept up an appearance of negligent confusion in 
his encampment. The outposts were feebly 
guarded ; fires were lighted in various places, 
as if preparing for feasting ; bursts of music and 
shouts of revelry resounded from different quar- 
ters, and the whole camp seemed to be rioting in 
careless security on the plunder of the land. A? 
the night advanced, the fires were gradually ex- 
11 



162 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

tinguished, and silence ensued, as if the soldiery 
had sunk into deep sleep after the carousal. 

In the mean time, bodies of troops had been 
secretly and silently marched to reinforce the 
outposts ; and the renegado Magued, with a 
numerous force, had formed an ambuscade in a 
deep stone quarry by which the Christians would 
have to pass. These preparations being made, 
they awaited the approach of the enemy in 
breathless silence. 

About midnight the chosen force intended for 
the sally assembled, and the command was con- 
fided to Count Tendero, a Gothic cavalier of tried 
prowess. After having heard a solemn mass and 
received the benediction of the priest, they marched 
out of the gate with all possible silence. They 
were suffered to pass the ambuscade in the quarry 
without molestation ; as they approached the Mos- 
lem camp everything appeared quiet, for the foot- 
soldiers were concealed in slopes and hollows, and 
every Arab horseman lay in his armor beside his 
steed. The sentinels on the outposts waited 
until the Christians were close at hand, and then 
fled in apparent consternation. 

Count Tendero gave the signal for assault, 
and the Christians rushed confidently forward. 
In an instant an uproar of drums, trumpets, an(!i 
shrill war-cries burst forth from every side. Ac 
army seemed to spring up from the earth ; squad 
rons of horse came thundering on them in front 
while the quarry poured forth legions of armec* 
warriors in their rear. 

The noise of the terrific conflict that took 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 163 

place was heard on the city wallsj and answered 
by shouts of exultation, for the Christians thought 
it rose from the terror and confusion of the Arab 
camp. In a little while, however, they were un- 
deceived by fugitives from the fight, aghast with 
terror and covered with wounds. " Hell itself," 
cried they, " is on the side of these infidels ; the 
earth casts forth warriors and steeds to aid them. 
We have fought, not with men, but devils ! " 

The greater part of the chosen troops who had 
sallied were cut to pieces in that scene of massacre, 
for they had been confounded by the tempest of 
battle which suddenly broke forth around them. 
Count Tendero fought with desperate valor, and 
fell covered with wounds. His body was found 
the next morning, lying among the slain, and 
transpierced with half a score of lances. The 
reneo^ado Mao^ued cut off his head and tied it to 
the tail of his horse, and repaired with this savage 
trophy to the tent of Muza ; but the hostility of 
the Arab general was of a less malignant kind. 
He ordered that the head and body should be 
placed together upon a bier, and treated with be- 
coming reverence. 

In the course of the day a train of priests and 
friars came forth from the city to request permis- 
sion to seek for the body of the count. Muza 
delivered it to them, with many soldier-like enco- 
miums on the valor of that good cavalier. The 
priests covered it with a pall of cloth of gold, and 
bore it back in melancholy procession to the city 
where it was received with loud lamentations. 

The siege was now pressed with great vigor 



164 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 

and repeated assaults were made, but in vain. 
Muza saw, at length, that the walls were too high 
to be scaled, and the gates too strong to be burst 
open without the aid of engines, and he desisted 
from the attack until machines for the purpose 
could be constructed. The governor suspected 
from this cessation of active , warfare that the 
enemy flattered themselves to reduce the place by 
famine ; he caused, therefore, large baskets of 
bread to be thrown from the wall, and sent a 
messenger to Muza to inform him that if his 
army should be in want of bread he would sup- 
ply it, having sufficient corn in his granaries for a 
ten years' siege.-*- 

The citizens, however, did not possess the un- 
daunted spirit of their governor. When they 
found that the Moslems were constructing tre- 
mendous engines for the destruction of their walls, 
they lost all courage, and, surrounding the gover- 
nor in a clamorous multitude, compelled him to 
send forth persons to capitulate. 

The ambassadors came into the presence of 
Muza with awe, for they expected to find a fierce 
and formidable warrior in one who had filled the 
land with terror ; but, to their astonishment, they 
beheld an ancient and venerable man, with white 
hair, a snowy beard, and a pale, emaciated coun- 
tenance. He had passed the previous night with- 
out sleep, and had been all day in the field ; he 
was exhausted, therefore, by watchfulness and 
fatigue, and his garments were covered with dust. 

" TVliat a devil of a man is this," murmured 
i Bleda, Cronica, E. 2, c. 11. 



I 



THE SUBJUGATION CF SPAIN, 165 

the ambassadors, one to another, " to undertake 
such a sieo^e wlien on the vero^e of the orrave. 
Let us defend our city the best way we can ; 
surely we can hold out longer than the life of 
this graybeard." 

They returned to the city, therefore, scoffing at 
an invader who seemed fitter to lean on a crutch 
than wield a lance ; and the terms offered by 
Muza, which would otherwise have been thought 
favorable, were scornfidly rejected by the inhabi- 
tants. A few days put an end to this mistaken 
confidence. Abdalasis, the son of Muza, arrived 
from Africa at the head of his reinforcement ; he 
brought seven thousand horsemen and a host of 
Barbary archers, and made a glorious display as 
he marched into the camp. The arrival of this 
youthful warrior was hailed with great acclama- 
tions, so much had he won the hearts of the sol- 
diery by the frankness, the suavity, and gener- 
osity of his conduct. Immediately after his 
arrival a grand assault was made upon the city, 
and several of the huge battering engines being 
finished, they were wheeled up and began to 
thunder against the walls. 

The unsteady populace were again seized with 
terror, and, surrounding their governor with fresh 
clamors, obliged him to send forth ambassadors 
a second time to treat of a surrender. When ad- 
mitted to the presence of Muza, the ambassadors 
could scarcely believe their eyes, or that this was 
the same withered, white-headed old man of 
whom tliey had lately spoken with scoffing. His 
hair and beard were tinged of a ruddy brown ; 



166 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 

his countenance was refreshed by repose and 
flushed with indignation, and he appeared a man 
in the matured vigor of his days. The ambassa- 
dors were struck with awe. " Surely," whis- 
pered they, one to the other. " this must be either 
a devil or a magician, who can thus make himself 
old and young at pleasure ! " 

Muza received them haughtily. " Hence," 
said he, " and tell your people I grant them the 
same terms I have already proffered, provided the 
city be instantly surrendered ; but, by the head 
of Mahomet, if there be any further delay, not 
one mother's son of ye shall receive mercy at my 
hands!" 

The deputies returned into the city pale and 
dismayed. " Go forth ! go forth ! " cried they, 
" and accept whatever terms are offered ; of what 
avail is it to fight against men who can renew 
their youth at pleasure? Behold, we left the 
leader of the infidels an old and feeble man, and 
to-day we find him youthful and vigorous." ^ 

The place was, therefore, surrendered forth- 
with, and Muza entered it in triumph. His 
terms were merciful. Those who chose to re- 
main were protected in persons, possessions, and 
religion ; he took the property of those only who 
abandoned the city or had fallen in battle ; to- 
gether with all arms and horses, and the treasures 
and ornaments of the churches. Among these 

1 Conde, p. 1, c. 13. Ambrosio de Morales. N. B. — In 
the chronicle of Spain, composed by order of Alonzo the 
Wise, this anecdote is given as having happened at the siega 
of Seville. 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 167 

sacred spoils was found a cup made of a single 
pearl, which a king of Spain, in ancient times, 
had brought from the temple of Jerusalem when 
it was destroyed by Nabuchodonosor. This pre- 
cious relic was sent by Muza to the caliph, and 
was placed in the principal mosque of the city 
of Damascus.^ 

Muza knew how to esteem merit even in an 
^nemy. When Sacarus, the Governor of Merida, 
appeared before him, he lauded him greatly for 
the skill and courage he had displayed in the 
defense of his city ; and, taking off his own 
scimetar, which was of great value, girded it upon 
him with his own hands. " Wear this," said he, 
" as a poor memorial of my admiration ; a soldier 
of such virtue and valor is worthy of far higher 
honors." 

He would have engaged the governor in his 
service, or have persuaded him to remain in the 
city, as an illustrious vassal of the caliph, but the 
noble-minded Sacarus refused to bend to the yoke 
of the conquerors ; nor could he bring himself to 
reside contentedly in his country, when subjected 
to the domination of the infidels. Gathering 
together all those who chose to accompany him 
into exile, he embarked to seek some country 
where he might live in peace and in the free 
exercise of his religion. What shore these ocean 
pilgrims landed upon has never been revealed ; 
but tradition vaguely gives us to believe that it 
was some unknown island far in the bosom of 
the Atlantic.^ 

1 Marmol. Descrip. de Africa^ T. 1, L. 2. 

2 Abulcasim Perdida de JSspana, L. 1, c. 13. 



jCHAPTER X. 

Expedition of Abdalasis against Seville and the " JiOnd 3f 
Tadmir." 




|FTER the capture of Merida, Muza gave 

a grand banquet to his captains and dis- 

I tinguished warriors in that magnificent 



city. At this martial feast were many Arab 
cavaliers who had been present in various battles, 
and they vied with each other in recounting the 
daring enterprises in which they had been engaged, 
and the splendid triumphs they had witnessed. 
While they talked with ardor and exultation, Ab- 
dalasis, the son of Muza, alone kept silence, and 
sat with a dejected countenance. At length, when 
there was a pause, he turned to his father and 
addressed him with modest earnestness. " My 
lord and father,'' said he, " I blush to hear your 
warriors recount the toils and dangers they have 
passed while I have done nothing to entitle me to 
their companionship. When I return to Egypt 
and present myself before the caliph, he will ask 
me of my services in Spain ; what battle I have 
gained ; what town or castle I have taken. How 
shall I answer him? If you love me, then, as 
your son, give me a command, intrust to me an 
enterprise, and let me acquire a name worthy to 
be mentioned amono; men." 



J 



ThE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 169 

The eyes of Muza kindled with joy at finding 
Abdalasis thus ambitious of renown in arms. 
"Allah be praised!" exclaimed he, "the heart 
of my son is in the ]*ight place. It is becoming 
in youth to look upward and be aspiring. Thy 
desire, Abdalasis, shall be gratified." 

An opportunity at that very time presented it- 
self to prove the prowess and discretion of the 
youth. During the siege of Merida, the Chris- 
tian troops which had taken refuge at Beja had 
reinforced themselves from Penaflor, and suddenly 
returning, had presented themselves before the 
gates of the city of Seville.-^ Certain of the 
Christian inhabitants threw open the gates and 
admitted them. The troops rushed to the alcazar, 
took it by surprise, and put many of the Moslem 
garrison to the sword ; the residue made their 
escape, and fled to the Arab camp before Merida, 
leaving Seville in the hands of the Christians. 

The veteran Muza, now that the siege of Merida 
was at an en^ was meditating the recapture and 
punishment of Seville at the very time when 
Abdalasis addressed him. " Behold, my son," 
exclaimed he, * " an enterprise worthy of thy 
ambition ! Take with thee all the troops thou 
hast brought from Africa ; reduce the city of 
Seville again to subjection, and plant thy standard 
upon its alcazar. But stop not there : carry thy 
conquering sword into the southern parts of 
Spain ; thou wilt find there a harvest of glory yet 
to be reaped." 

Abdalasis lost no time in departing upon this 
1 Eppinosa, Antq. y Grand, de Seville^ L. 2, c. 3. 



170 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 

enterprise. He took with him Count Juh'an, 
Magued el Rumi, and the Bishop Oppas, that he 
might benefit by their knowledge of the country. 
When he came in sight of the fair city of Seville, 
seated like a queen in the midst of its golden 
plain, with the Guadalquivir flowing beneath its 
walls, he gazed upon it with the admiration of a 
lover, and lamented in his soul that he had to 
visit it as an avenger. His troops, however, re- 
garded it with wrathful eyes, thinking only of its 
rebellion and of the massacre of their country- 
men in the alcazar. 

The principal people of the city had taken no 
part in this gallant but fruitless insurrection ; and 
now, when they beheld the army of Abdalasis 
encamped upon the banks of the Guadalquivir, 
would fain have gone forth to make explanations, 
and intercede for mercy. The populace, however, 
forbade any one to leave the city, and, barring the 
gates, prepared to defend themselves to the last. 
The place was attacked with resistless fury. 
The gates were soon burst open f**the Moslems 
rushed in, panting for revenge. They confined 
not their slaughter to the soldiery in the alcazar, 
but roamed through every street, confounding the 
innocent with the guilty in one bloody massacre, 
and it was with the utmost difficulty that Abdalasis 
could at length succeed in staying their sanguinary 
career.^ 

The son of Muza proved himself as mild in 
conquest as he had been intrepid in assault. 
The moderation and benignity of his conduct 
1 Conde, P. 1, c. IL ^ 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 171 

soothed the terrors of the vanquished, and his 
wise precautions restored tranquillity. Having 
made proper regulations for the protection of the 
inhabitants, he left a strong garrison in the place 
to prevent any future insurrection, and then de- 
parted on the further prosecution of his enterprise. 

Wherever he went his arms were victorious ; 
and his victories were always characterized by 
the same magnanimity. At length he arrived on 
the confines of that beautiful region, comprising 
lofty and precipitous mountains and rich and 
delicious plains, afterwards known by the name of 
the kingdom of Murcia. All this part of the 
country was defended by the veteran Theodomir, 
who, by skillful management, had saved a remnant 
of his forces after the defeat on the banks of the 
Guadalete. 

Theodomir was a stanch warrior, but a wary 
and prudent man. He had experienced the folly 
of opposing the Arabs in open field, where their 
cavalry and armor gave them such superiority ; 
on their approach, therefore, he assembled all his 
people capable of bearing arms, and took posses- 
sion of the cliffs and mountain passes. " Here," 
said he, "a simple goat-herd, who can hurl down 
rocks and stones, is as good as a warrior armed 
in proof." In this way he checked and harassed 
the Moslem army in all its movements, — shower- 
ing down missiles upon it from overhanging pre- 
cipices, and waylaying it in narrow and rugged 
defiles, where a few raw troops could make stand 
against a host. 

Theodomir was in a fair way to bafile his foes, 



172 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 

and oblige them to withdraw from his territories 
unfortunately, however, the wary veteran had two 
sons with him, young men of hot and heady 
valor, who considered all this prudence of their 
father as savoring of cowardice, and who w^ere 
anxious to try their prowess in the open field. 
*' What glory," said they, " is to be gained by 
destroying an enemy in this way, from the covert 
of rocks and thickets ? " 

" You talk like young men," replied the veter- 
an. " Glory is a prize one may fight for abroad, 
but safety is the object when the enemy is at the 
door." 

One day, however, the young men succeeded 
in drawing down their father into the plain. 
Abdalasis immediately seized on the opportunity, 
and threw himself between the Goths and their 
mountain fastnesses. Theodouiir saw too late the 
danger into which he was betrayed. " What can 
our raw troops do," said he, " against those squad- 
rons of horse that move like castles? Let us 
make a rapid retreat to Orihuela, and defend our- 
selves from behind its walls." 

" Father," said the eldest son, " it is too late to 
retreat ; remain here with the reserve while my 
brother and I advance. Fear nothing ; am not I 
your son, and would I not die to defend you?" 

" In truth," replied the veteran, " I have my 
doubts whether you are my son. But if I re- 
main here, and you should all be killed, where 
then would be my protection ? Come," added 
he, turning to the second son, " I trust that thou 
art virtually my son, let us hasten to retreat 
before it is too late." 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 173 

" Father," replied the youngest, '^ I have not a 
doubt that I am honestly and thoroughly your 
son, and as such I honor you ; but I owe duty 
likewise to my mother, and when I sallied to the 
war she gave me her blessing as long as 1 should 
act with valor, but her curse should I prove 
craven and fly the field. Fear nothing, father ; I 
will defend you while living, and even after you 
are dead. You shall never fail of an honorable 
sepulture among your kindred." 

•' A pestilence on ye both," cried Theodomir, 
" for a brace of misbegotten madmen ! What care 
I, think ye, where ye lay my body when I am 
dead ? One day's existence in a hovel is worth 
an age of interment in a marble sepulchre. 
Come, my friends," said he, turning to his prin- 
cipal cavaliers, " let us leave these hot-headed 
striplings and make our retreat ; if we tarry any 
longer the enemy will be upon us." 

Upon this, the cavaliers and proud hidalgoes 
drew" up scornfully and tossed their heads : " What 
do you see in us," said they, '' that you think we 
will show our backs to the enemy ? Forward ! 
was ever the good old Gothic watchword, and 
with that will we live and die ! " 

While time was lost in these disputes, the 
Moslem army kept advancing until retreat was no 
longer practicable. The battle was tumultuous 
and bloody. Theodomir fought like a lion, but it 
was all in vain ; he saw his two sons cut down, 
»,nd the greater part of their rash companions, 
while hi? raw mountain troops fled in all direc- 
tions. 



174 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

Seeing there was no longer any hope, he 
seized the bridle of a favorite page who was near 
him, and who was about spurring for the moun- 
tains. " Part not from me," said he, " but do 
thou, at least, attend to my counsel, my son ; and 
of a truth I believe thou art my son, for thou art 
the offspring of one of my handmaids who was 
kind unto me." And indeed the youth marvel- 
ously resembled him. Turning then the reins 
of his own steed, and giving him the spur, he fled 
amain from the field, followed by the page ; nor 
did he stop until he arrived within the walls of 
Orihuela. 

Ordering the gates to be barred and bolted, he 
prepared to receive the enemy. There were but 
few men in the city capable of bearing arms, 
most of the youth having fallen in the field. He 
caused the women, therefore, to clothe themselves 
in male attire, to put on hats and helmets, to take 
long reeds in their hands instead of lances, and to 
cross their hair upon their chins in semblance of 
beards. With these troops he lined the walls and 
tovrers. 

It was about the hour of twilight that Abda- 
lasis approached with his army, but he paused 
when he saw the walls so numerously garrisoned. 
Then Theodomir took a flag of truce in his hand, 
and put a herald's tabard on the page, and they 
two sallied forth to capitulate, and were gracious- 
ly received by Abdalasis. 

" I come," said Theodomir, " on the behalf of the 
commander of this city, to treat for terms worthy 
of your magnanimity and of his dignity. You 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 175 

perceive that the city is capable of withstanding 
a long siege, but he is desirous of sparing tht 
lives of his soldiers. Promise that the inhabit- 
ants shall be at liberty to depart unmolested 
with their property, and the city will be delivered 
up to you to-morrow morning without a blow ; 
otherwise we are prepared to fight until not a 
man be left." 

Abdalasis was well pleased to get so powerful 
a place upon such easy terms, but stipulated that 
the garrison should lay down their arms. To 
this Theodomir readily assented, with the excep- 
tion, however, of the governor and his retinue, 
which was granted out of consideration for his 
dignity. The articles of capitulation were then 
drawn out, and when Abdalasis had affixed his 
name and seal, Theodomir took the pen and 
wrote his signature. " Behold in me," said he, 
" the governor of the city ! " 

Abdalasis was pleased with the hardihood of 
the commander of the place in thus venturing 
personally into his power, and entertained the 
veteran with still greater honor. When Theodo- 
mir returned to the city, he made known the 
capitulation, and charged the inhabitants to pack 
up their effects during the night and be ready to 
sally forth during the morning. 

At the dawn of day the gates w^ere thrown 
open, and Abdalasis looked to see a great force 
issuing forth, but to his surprise beheld merely 
Theodomir and his page in battered armor, fol- 
lowed by a multitude of old men, women, and 
children. 



176 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 

Abdalasis waited until the whole had come 
forth, then turning to Theodomir, " Where," 
cried he, " are the soldiers whom I saw last 
evening lining the walls and towers ? " 

" Soldiers have I none," replied the veteran. 
" As to my garrison, behold it before you. With 
these women did I man my walls, and this my 
page is my herald, guard, and retinue." 

Upon this the Bishop Oppas and Count Julian 
exclauned that the capitulation was a base fraud 
and ought not to be complied with ; but Abda- 
lasis relished the stratagem of the old soldier, 
and ordered that the stipulations of the treaty 
should be faithfully performed. Nay, so high an 
opinion did he conceive of the subtle wisdom of 
this commander that he permitted him to remain 
in authority over the surrounding country on his 
acknowledging allegiance and engaging to pay 
tribute to the caliph ; and all that part of Spain, 
comprising the beautiful provinces of Murcia and 
Valencia, was long after known by the Arabic 
name of its defender, and is still recorded in Ara- 
bian chronicles as " The land of Tadmir." ^ 

Having succeeded in subduing this rich and 
fruitful region, and having gained great renown 
for his generosity as well as valor, Abdalasis re- 
turned with the chief part of his army to the city 
of Seville. 

1 Conde, p. 1. Cronica del Moro Basis. Cron, gen. E^aiia, 
por Alonzo el Sabio, p. 3, c. 1. 




CHAPTER XL 

Muza arrives at Toledo. — Interview between hira and 
Taric 

llHEN Muza ben Nosier had sent Iiis 
son Abdalasis to subdue Seville, he de- 
parted for Toledo to call Taric to ac- 
count for his disobedience to his orders ; for, 
amidst all his own successes, the prosperous ca- 
reer of that commander preyed upon his mind. 
What can content the jealous and ambitious 
heart ? As Muza passed through the land, towns 
and cities submitted to him without resistance ; 
he was lost in wonder at the riches of the coun- 
tiy and the noble monuments of art with which it 
was adorned ; when he beheld the bridges, con- 
structed in ancient times by the Romans, they 
seemed to him the work, not of men, but of genii. 
Yet all these admirable abjects only made him re- 
pine the more that he had not had the exclusive 
glory of invading and subduing the land ; and 
exasperated him the more against Taric, for hav- 
ing apparently endeavored to monopolize the 
conquest. 

Taric heard of his approach, and came forth to 

meet him at Talavera, accompanied by many of 

the most distinguished companions of his victories, 

and with a train of horses and mules laden with 

12 



178 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 

Bpolls, with which he trusted to propitiate the 
favor of his commander. Their meetinor took 
place OTi the banks of the rapid river Tietar, 
which rises in the mountains of Placencia and 
throws itself into the Tagus. Muza, in former 
days, while Taric had acted as his subordinate 
and indefatigable officer, had cherished and con- 
sidered him as a second self; but now that he had 
started up to be a rival, he could not conceal his 
jealousy. When the veteran came into his pres- 
ence, he regarded him for a moment with a stern 
and indignant aspect. " Why hast thou disobeyed 
my orders ? " said he. " I commanded thee to 
await my arrival with reinforcements, but thou 
hast rashly overrun the country, endangering the 
loss of our armies and the ruin of our cause." 

" 1 have acted," replied Taric, " in such man- 
ner as I thought would best serve the cause of 
Islam, and in so doing I thought to fulfill the 
wishes of Muza. Whatever I have done has 
been as your servant ; behold your share as 
commander-in-chief of spoils which I have col- 
lected." So saying he produced an immense 
treasure in silver and gold, and costly stuffs and 
precious stones, and spread it before Muza. 

The anger of the Arab commander was still 
more kindled at the sight of this booty, for it 
proved how splendid had been the victories of 
Taric ; but he restrained his wrath for the pres- 
ent, and they proceeded together in moody silence 
to Toledo. When he entered this royal city, 
however, and ascended to the ancient palace of 
the Gothic kings, and reflected that all this had 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 179 

been a scene of triumph to his rival, he could no 
longer repress his indignation. He demanded of 
Taric a strict account of all the riches he had 
gathered in Spain, even of the presents he had 
reserved for the caliph, and, above all, lie made 
him yield up his favorite trophy, the talismanic 
table of Solomon. When all this was done, he 
again upbraided him bitterly with his disobedi- 
ence of orders, and with the rashness of his con- 
duct. '' What blind confidence in fortune hast 
thou shown," said he, " in overrunning such a 
country and assailing such powerful cities with 
thy scanty force ! What madness to venture 
everything upon a desperate chance, when thou 
knewest I was coming with a force to make the 
victory secure. All thy success has been owing 
to mere luck, not to judgment nor generalship." 

He then bestowed high praises upon the other 
chieftains for their services in the cause of Islam, 
but they answered not a word, and their counte- 
nances were gloomy and discontented ; for they 
felt the injustice done to their favorite leader. 
As to Taric, though his eye burned like (ire, he 
kept his passion within bounds. " I have done 
the best I could to serve God and the caliph," 
said he emphatically ; ^' my conscience acquits 
me, and I trust my sovereign will do the same." 

" Perhaps he may," replied Muza, bitterly ; 
" but, in the mean time, I cannot confide his in- 
terests to a desperado who is heedless of orders 
and throws everything at hazard. Such a gen- 
eral is unworthy to be intrusted with the fate of 
armies." 



ISO THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

So saying, he divested Taric of his command, 
and gave it to Magued the renegado. The gaunt 
Taric still maintained an air of stern composure. 
His only words were, '^ The caliph will do me 
justice ! " Muza was so transported with passion 
at this laconic defiance that he ordered him to 
be thrown into prison, and even threatened his 
life. 

Upon this, Magued el E-umi, though he had 
risen by the disgrace of Taric, had the generosity 
to speak out warmly in his favor. " Consider," 
said he, to Muza, " what may be the consequen- 
ces of this severity. Taric has many friends in 
the army ; his actions, too, have been signal and 
illustrious, and entitle him to the highest honors 
and rewards, instead of disgrace and imprison- 
ment." 

The anger of Muza, however, was not to be 
appeased ; and he trusted to justify his measures 
by dispatching missives to the caliph, complain- 
ing of the insubordination of Taric, and his rash 
and headlong conduct. The result proved the 
wisdom of the caution given by Magued. In the 
course of a little while Muza received a humili- 
ating letter from the caliph, ordering him to re- 
store Taric to the command of the soldiers 
" whom he had so gloriously conducted ; " and 
not to render useless " one of the best swords in 
Islam ! " 1 

It is thus the envious man brings humiliation 
and reproach upon himself, in endeavoring to de- 
grade a meritorious rival. When the tidings 
1 Conde, pt. 1. p. 15. 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 181 

came of the justice rendered by the cab'ph to the 
merits of the veteran, there was general joy 
throughout the army, and Muza read in the 
snn'ling countenances of every one around him a 
severe censure upon his conduct. He concealed, 
however, his deep humiliation, and affected to 
obey the orders of his sovereign with great 
alacrity ; he released Taric from prison, feasted 
him at his own table, and then publicly replaced 
him at the head of his troops. The army re- 
ceived its favorite veteran with shouts of joy, and 
celebrated with rejoicings the reconciliation of 
the commanders; but the shouts of the soldiery 
were abhorrent to the ears of Muza. 





CHAPTER XII. 

Muza prosecutes the Scheme of Conquest. — Siege of Sara- 
gossa. — Complete Subjugation of Spain. 

HE dissensions, which for a time had. 
distracted the conquering army, being 
appeased, and the Arabian generals 
being apparently once more reconciled, Muza, as 
commander in-chief, proceeded to complete the 
enterprise by subjugating the northern parts of 
Spain. The same expeditious mode of conquest 
that had been sagaciously adopted by Taric was 
still pursued. The troops were lightly armed, 
and freed from every superfluous incumbrance. 
Each horseman, beside his arms, carried a small 
sack of provisions, a copper vessel in which to 
cook them, and a skin which served him for sur- 
coat and for bed. The infantry carried nothing 
but their arms. To each regiment or squadron 
was allowed a limited number of sumpter-mules 
and attendants, barely enough to carry their 
necessary basrgage and supplies; nothing was 
permitted that could needlessly diminish the 
number of fighting men, delay their rapid move- 
ments, or consume their provisions. Strict or- 
ders were again issued, prohibiting, on pain of 
death, all plunder excepting the camp of an 
enemy, or cities given up to pillage.^ 
1 Conde, pt. 1, c. 13 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 183 

The armies now took their several lines of 
march. That under Taric departed towards the 
northeast ; beating up the country towards the 
source of the Tagus, traversing the chain of 
Iberian or Arragonian Mountains, and pouring 
down into the plains and valleys watered by the 
Ebro. It was wonderful to see, in so brief a 
space of time, such a vast and difficult country 
penetrated and subdued, and the invading army, 
like an inundating flood, pouring its streams into 
the most remote recesses. 

While Taric was thus sweeping the country 
to the northeast, Muza departed in an opposite 
direction ; yet purposing to meet him, and to 
join their forces in the north. Bending his 
course westwardly, he made a circuit behind the 
mountains, and then, advancing into the open 
country, displayed his banners before Salamanca, 
which surrendered without resistance. From 
hence he continued on towards Astorga, receiving 
the terrified submission of the land ; then turning 
up the Valley of the Douro, he ascended the 
course of that famous river towards the east ; 
crossed the Sierra de Moncayo, and, arriving on 
the banks of the Ebro, marched down along its 
stream, until he approached the strong city of 
Saragossa, the citadel of all that part of Spain. 
In this place had taken refuge many of the most 
valiant of the Gothic warriors — the remnants of 
armies, and fugitives from conquered cities. It 
was one of the last rallying-points of the land. 
When Muza arrived, Taric had already been for 
Bome time before the place, laying close siege; 



184 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

the inhabitants were pressed by famine, and had 
suffered great losses in repeated combats ; but 
there was a spirit and obstinacy in their resist- 
ance surpassing anything that had yet been wit- 
nessed by the invaders. 

Muza now took command of the siege, and 
ordered a general assault upon the walls. The 
Moslems planted their scaling - ladders, and 
mounted with their accustomed intrepidity, but 
were vigorously resisted ; nor could all their 
efforts obtain them a footing upon the battle- 
ments. While they were thus assailing the 
walls, Count Julian ordered a heap of combusti- 
bles to be placed against one of the gates, and 
set on fire. The inhabitants attempted in vain, 
from the barbican, to extinguish the flames. 
They burned so fiercely that in a little while 
the gate fell from the hinges. Count Julian gal- 
loped into the city, mounted upon a powerful 
charger, himself and his steed all covered with 
mail. He was followed by three hundred of his 
partisans, and supported by Magued the rene- 
gado, with a troop of horse. 

The inhabitants disputed every street and pub- 
lic square ; they made barriers of dead bodies, 
fighting behind these ramparts of their slaugh- 
tered countrymen. Every window and roof was 
filled with combatants ; the very women and 
children joined in the desperate fight, throwing 
down stones and missiles of all kinds, and scald- 
ing water upon the enemy. 

The battle raged until the hour of vespers, 
when the principal inhabitants held a parley, and 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 185 

capitulated for a surrender. Muza Lad been in- 
censed at their obstinate resistance, which had 
cost the lives of so many of his soldiers ; he 
knew, also, that in the city were collected the 
riches of many of the towns of eastern Spain. 
He demanded, therefore, beside the usual terms, 
a heavy sum to be paid down by the citizens, 
called the contribution of blood ; as by this they 
redeemed themselves from the edge of the 
sword. The people were obliged to comply. 
They collected all the jewels of their richest 
families, and all the ornaments of their temples, 
and laid them at the feet of Muza ; and placed 
in his power many of their noblest youths as 
hostages. A strong garrison was then appointed, 
and thus the fierce city of Saragossa was subdued 
to the yoke of the conqueror. 

The Arab generals pursued their conquests 
even to the foot of the Pyrenees ; Taric then de- 
scended along the course of the Ebro, and con- 
tinued along the Mediterranean coast ; subduing 
the famous city of Valencia, with its rich and 
beautiful domains, and carrying the success of 
his arms even to Denia. 

Muza undertook with his host a wider range 
of conquest. He overcame the cities of Barcelona, 
Gerona, and others that lay on the skirts of the 
eastern mountains ; then crossing into the land of 
the Franks, he captured the city of Narbonne — 
in a temple of which he found seven equestrian 
images of silver, which he brought off as trophies 
of his victory.! Returning into Spain, he scoured 
i Conde, pt. 1, c. 16. 



186 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

its northern regions along Gallicia and the As- 
turias ; passed triumphantly through Lusitania, 
and arrived once more in Andalusia, covered 
with laurels and enriched with immense spoils. 
Thus was completed the subjugation of unhappy 
Spain. All its cities, and fortresses, and strong- 
holds, were in the hands of the Saracens, except- 
ing some of the wild mountain tracts that bordered 
the Atlantic and extended towards the north. 
Here, then, the story of the conquest might con- 
clude, but that the indefatigable chronicler, Fray 
Antonio Agapida, goes on to record the fate of 
those persons who were most renowned in the 
enterprise. We shall follow his steps, and avail 
ourselves of his information, laboriously collected 
from various sources ; and, truly, the story of 
each of the actors in this great historical drama 
bears with it its striking moral, and is full of ad- 
monition and instruction. 





CHAPTER XIIL 

Feud between the Arab Generals. — They are summoned to 
appear before the Caliph at Damascus. — Reception of 
Taric. 

HE heart of Muza ben Nosier was now- 
lifted np, for he considered his glory 
complete. He held a sway that might 
have gratified the ambition of the proudest sov- 
ereign, for all western Africa and the newly ac- 
quired peninsula of Spain were obedient to his 
rule ; and he was renowned throughout all the 
lands of Islam as the great conqueror of the 
West. But sudden humiliation awaited him in 
the very moment of his highest triumph. 

Notwithstanding the outward reconciliation of 
Muza and Taric, a deep and implacable hostility 
continued to exist between them ; and each had 
busy partisans who distracted the armies by their 
feuds. Letters were incessantly dispatched to 
Damascus by either party, exalting the merits of 
their own leader and decrying his rival. Taric 
was represented as rash, arbitrary, and prodigal, 
and as injuring the discipline of the army, by 
sometimes treating it with extreme rigor and at 
other times giving way to licentiousness and pro- 
fusion. Muza was lauded as prudent, sagacious, 
dignified, and systematic in his dealings. The 
friends of Taric, on the other hand, represented 



188 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 

him as brave, generous, and high-minded ; scru- 
pulous in reserving to his sovereign his rightful 
share of the spoils, but distributing the rest 
bounteously among his soldiers, and thus increas- 
ing their alacrity in the service. " Muza, on the 
contrary," said they, '' is grasping and insatiable ; 
he levies intolerable contributions and collects im- 
mense treasure, but sweeps it all into his own 
coffers." 

The caliph was at length wearied out by these 
complaints, and feared that the safety of the cause 
might be endangered by the dissensions of the 
rival generals. He sent letters, therefore, order- 
ing them to leave suitable persons in charge of 
their several commands, and appear, forthwith, 
before him at Damascus. 

Such was the greeting from his sovereign that 
awaited Muza on his return from the conquest of 
northern Spain. It was a grievous blow to a 
man of his pride and ambition ; but he prepared 
instantly to obey. He returned to Cordova, col- 
lecting by the way all the treasures lie had de- 
posited in various places. At that city he called 
a meeting of his principal officers, and of the 
leaders of the faction of apostate Christians, and 
made them all do homage to his son Abdalasis, 
as emir or governor of Spain. He gave this 
favorite son much sao;e advice for the regulation 
of his conduct, and left with him his nephew, 
Ayub, a man greatly honored by the Moslems for 
his wisdom and discretion ; exhortins: Abdalasis 
to consult him on all occasions, and consider him 
as his bosom counselor. He made a parting ad- 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 189 

dress to his adherents, full of cheerful confidence ; 
assuring them that he would soon return, loaded 
with new favors and honors by his sovereign, and 
enabled to reward them all for their faithful 
services. 

When Muza sallied forth from Cordova, to re- 
pair to Damascus, his cavalagada appeared like 
the sumptuous pageant of some oriental poten- 
tate ; for he had numerous guards and attendants 
splendidly armed and arrayed, together with four 
hundred hostages, who were youthful cavaliers 
of the noblest families of the Goths, and a great 
number of captives of both sexes, chosen for their 
beauty, and intended as presents for the caliph. 
Then there was a vast train of beasts of burden, 
laden with the plunder of Spain ; for he took with 
him all the wealth he had collected in his con- 
quests, and all the share that had been set apart 
for his sovereign. With this display of trophies 
and spoils, showing the magnificence of the land 
he had conquered, he looked forward with con- 
fidence to silence the calumnies of his foes. 

As he traversed the valley of the Gaudalquivir 
he often turned and looked back wistfully upon 
Cordova ; and, at the distance of a league, when 
about to lose sight of it, he checked his steed 
upon the summit of a hill, and gazed for a long 
time upon its palaces and towers. " Cordova ! " 
exclaimed he, " great and glorious art thou among 
cities, and abundant in all delights. With grief 
and sorrow do I part from thee, for sure 1 am it 
would give me length of days to abide within thy 
pleasant walls ! " When he had uttered these 



190 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 

words, say the Arabian chronicles, he resumed 
his wayfaring ; but his eyes were bent upon the 
ground, and frequent sighs bespoke the heaviness 
of his heart. 

Embarking at Cadiz, he passed over to Africa 
with all his people and effects, to regulate his 
government in that country. He divided the 
command between his sons, Abdelola and Meruan, 
leaving the former in Tangier and the latter in 
Cairvan. Thus having secured, as he thought, 
tlie power and prosperity of his family, by placing 
all his sons as his lieutenants in the country he 
had conquered, he departed for Syria, bearing 
with him the sumptuous spoils of the West. 

While Muza was thus disposing of his com- 
mands, and moving cumbrously under the weight 
of wealth, the veteran Taric was more speedy 
and alert in obeying the summons of the caliph. 
He knew the importance, where complaints were 
to be heard, of being first in presence of the 
judge ; besides, he was ever ready to march at a 
moment's warning, and had nothing to impede 
him in his movements. The spoils he had made 
in his conquests had either been shared among 
his soldiers, or yielded up to Muza, or squandered 
away with open-handed profusion. He ap- 
peared in Syria with a small train of war-worn 
followers, and had no other trophies to show than 
his battered armor and a body seamed with scars. 
He was received, however, with rapture by the 
multitude, who crowded to behold one of those 
conquerors of the West, whose wonderful achieve- 
ments were the theme of every tongue. They 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 191 

were charmed with his gaunt and martial air, 
his hard, sunburnt features, and his scathed eye. 
'' All hail,'' cried they, " to the Sword of Islam, 
the terror of the unbelievers ! Behold the true 
model of a warrior, who despises gain, and seeks 
for nought but glory ! '* 

Taric was graciously received by the caliph, 
wdio asked tidings of his victories. He gave a 
soldier-like account of his actions, frank and 
full, without any feigned modesty, yet without 
vainglory. " Commander of the Faithful," said 
he, " I bring thee no silver, nor gold, nor pre- 
cious stones, nor captives, for what spoils I did 
not share with my soldiers I gave up to Muza as 
my commander. How I have conducted myself 
the honorable warriors of thy host will tell thee ; 
nay, let our enemies, the Christians, be asked if I 
have ever shown myself c*owardly, or cruel, or 
rapacious.'* 

" What kind of people are these Christians ? " 
demanded the caliph. 

'' The Spaniards," replied Taric, "are lions in 
their castles, eagles in their saddles, but mere 
women when on foot. When vanquished they 
escape like goats to the mountains, for they need 
not see the ground they tread on." 

" And tell me of the Moors of Barbary." 

" They are like Arabs in the iierceness and 
dexterity of their attacks and in their knowledge 
of the stratagems of war ; they resemble them, 
tao, in feature, in fortitude, and hospitality ; but 
they are the most perfidious people upon earth, 
and never regard promise or plighted faith." 



192 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

^' And the people of Afranc ; what sayest thou 
of them ? " 

" They are infinite in number, rapid in the on- 
set, fierce in battle, but confused and headlong in 
flight." 

" And how fared it with thee among these 
people ? Did they sometimes vanquish thee ? " 

" Never, by Allah ! " cried Taric, with honest 
warmth ; never did a banner of mine fly the 
field. Though the enemy were two to one, my 
Moslems never shunned the combat ! " 

The caliph was well pleased with the martial 
bluntness of the veteran, and showed him great 
honor ; and wherever Taric appeared he was the 
Jdol of the populace. 




CHAPTER XIV. 



Muza arrives at Damascus. — His Interview with the Caliph. — 
The Table of Solomon. — A rigorous Sentence. 



HORTLY after the arrival of Taric el 

Tuerto at Damascus, the caliph fell 

|| dangerously ill, insomuch that his life 




was despaired of. During his illness, tidings 
were brought that Muza ben Nosier had entered 
Syria with a vast cavalcade, bearing all the 
riches and trophies gained in the western con- 
quests. Now Suleiman ben Abdelmelec, brother 
to the caliph, was successor to the throne, and he 
saw that his brother had not long to live, and 
wished to grace the commencement of his reign 
by this triumphant display of the spoils of Chris- 
tendom ; he sent messengers, therefore, to Muza, 
saying, " The caliph is ill and cannot receive 
thee at present ; I pray thee tarry on the road 
until his recovery." Muza, however, paid no at- 
tention to the messages of Suleiman, but rather 
hastened his march to arrive before the death of 
the caliph. And Suleiman treasured up his con- 
duct in his heart. 

Muza entered the city in a kind of triumph, 
with a long train of horses and mules and camels 
laden with treasure, and with the four hundred 
13 



194 THJi SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

sons of Gothic nobles as hostages, each decorated 
with a diadem and a girdle of gold ; and with one 
hundred Christian damsels, whose beauty dazzled 
all beholders. As he passed through the streets 
he ordered purses of gold to be thrown among 
the populace, who rent the air with acclamations. 
" Beholdj" cried they, ^' the veritable conqueror 
of the unbelievers ! Behold the true model of a 
conqueror, who brings home wealth to his coun- 
try ! " And they heaped benedictions on the head 
of Muza. 

The Caliph Waled Almanzor rose from his 
couch of illness to receive the emir, who, when 
he repaired to the palace, filled one of its great 
courts with treasures of all kinds ; the halls, too, 
were thronged with youthful hostages, magnifi- 
cently attired, and with Christian damsels, lovely 
as the houris of paradise. When the caliph de- 
manded an account of the conquest of Spain, he 
gave it with great eloquence ; but, in describing 
"ihe various victories, he made no mention of the 
name of Taric, but spoke as if everything had 
been effected by himself. He then presented the 
spoils of the Christians as if they had been all 
taken by his own hands ; and when he delivered 
to the caliph the miraculous table of Solomon, he 
dwelt with animation on the virtues of that in- 
estimable talisman. 

Upon this, Taric, who was present, could no 
longer hold his peace. " Commander of the 
Faithful," said he, " examine this precious table, 
if any part be wanting." The caliph examined 
the table, which was composed of a single eme- 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 195 

raid, and he found that oue foot was supplied by a 
foot of gold. The caliph turned to Muza and 
said, " Where is the other foot of the table ? " 
Muza answered, " I know not ; one foot was 
wanting when it carae into my hands." Upon 
this, Taric drew from beneath his robe a foot of 
emerald of like workmanship to the others, and 
fitting exactly to the table, " Behold, Com- 
mander of the Faithful ! " cried he, a proof of 
the real finder of the table ; and so is it with the 
greater part of the spoils exhibited by Muza as 
trophies of his achievements. It was I who 
gained them, and who captured the cities in which 
they were found. If you want proof, demand of 
these Christian cavaliers here present, most of 
whom I captured ; demand of those Moslem 
warriors who aided me in my battles." 

Muza was confounded for a moment, but at- 
tempted to vindicate himself " I spake," said 
he, " as the chief of your armies, under whose 
orders and banners this conquest was achieved. 
The actions of the soldier are the actions of the 
commander. In a great victory it is not sup- 
posed that the chief of the army takes all the 
captives, or kills all the slain, or gathers all the 
booty, though all are enumerated in the records 
of his triumph." The caliph, however, was 
wroth, and heeded not his words. " You have 
vaunted your own deserts," said he, " and have 
forgotten the deserts of others ; nay, you have 
sought to debase another who has loyally served 
his sovereign ; the ^^eward of your envy and 
covetousness be upon your head ! " So saying, 



196 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. ■ 

he bestowed a great part of the spoils upon Tarie 
and the other chiefs, but gave nothing to Muza ; 
and the veteran retired amidst the sneers and 
murmurs of those present. 

In a few days the Caliph Waled died, and was 
succeeded by his brother Suleiman. The new 
sovereign cherished deep resentment against 
Muza for having presented himself at court 
contrary to his command, and he listened readily 
to the calumnies of his enemies — for Muza had 
been too illustrious in his deeds not to have many 
enemies. All now took courage when they found 
he was out of favor, and they heaped slanders on 
his head ; charging him with embezzling much 
of the share of the booty belonging to the sove- 
reisjn. The new caliph lent a willing ear to the 
accusation, and commanded him to render up all 
that he had pillaged from Spain. The loss of 
his riches might have been borne with fortitude 
by Muza, but the stigma upon his fame filled his 
heart with bitterness. " I have been a faithful 
servant to the throne from my youth upwards," 
said he, " and now am I degraded in my old age. 
1 care not for wealth, I care not for life, but let 
me not be deprived of that honor which God has 
bestowed upon me ! " 

The Ciiliph was still more exasperated at his 
repining, and stripped him of his commands, con- 
fiscated his efifects, fined him two hundred thou- 
sand pesants of gold, and ordered that he should 
be scourged and exposed to the noontide sun, and 
afterwards thrown into prison.^ The populace', 

^ Conde, pt. 1, c. 17. 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 



197 



alsOj reviled and scoffed at him in his misery, 
tind as they beheld him led forth to the public 
gaze, and fainting in' the sun, they pointed at him 
with derision, and exclaimed, " Behold the envi- 
ous man and the impostor; this is he w^ho pre- 
tended to have conquered the land of the unbe- 
lievers 1 " 





CHAPTER XV. 

Conduct of Abdalasis as Emir of Spain. 

I HILE these events were happening in 
Syria, the youthful Abdalasis, the son 
of Muza, remained as emir or governor 
of Spain. He was of a generous and benignant 
disposition, but he was open and confiding, and 
easily led away by the opinions of those he loved. 
Fortunately his father had left with him, as a 
bosom counselor, the discreet Ayub, the nephew 
of Muza ; aided by his advice, he for some time 
administered the public affairs prudently and 
prosperously. 

Not long after the departure of his father, he 
received a letter from him, written while on^ his 
journey to Syria ; it was to the following pur- 
port : — 

" Beloved son ; honor of thy lineage ; Allah 
guard thee from all harm and peril ! Listen to 
the words of thy father. Avoid all treachery, 
though it should promise great advantage, and 
trust not in him who counsels it, even though he 
should be a brother. The company of traitors 
put far from thee ; for how canst thou be certain 
that he who has proved false to others will prove 
true to thee? Beware, O my son, of the seduc- 
tions of love. It is an idle passion, which en- 



TIIK SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 199 

feebles the heart and blinds the judgment ; it 
renders the mighty weak, and makes slaves of 
princes. If thou shouldst discover any foible of 
a vicious kind springing up in thy nature, pluck 
it forth, whatever pang it cost thee. Every 
error, while new, may easily be weeded out, but 
if suffered to take root, it flourishes and bears 
seed, and produces fruit an hundred-fold. Fol- 
low these counsels, O son of my affections, and 
thou shalt live secure." 

Abdalasis meditated upon this letter, for some 
part of it seemed to contain a mystery which he 
could not comprehend. He called to him his 
cousin and counselor, the discreet Ayub. " What 
means my father," said he, " in cautioning me 
against treachery and treason? Does he think 
my nature so base that it could descend to such 
means ? " 

Ayub read the letter attentively. *' Thy 
father," said he. " would put thee on thy guard 
against the traitors Julian and Oppas, and those 
of their party who surround thee. What love 
canst thou expect from men who have been un- 
natural to their kindred, and what loyalty from 
wretches who have betrayed their country ? " 

Abdalasis was satisfied with the interpretation, 
and he aeted accordingly. He had long loathed 
all communion with these men, for there is 
nothing which the open, ingenuous nature so 
much abhors as duplicity and treason. Policy, 
too, no longer required th^ir agency ; they had 
rendered their infamous service, and had no 
longer a country to betray ; but they might turn 



200 rUE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

and betray their employers. Abdalasis, there- 
fore, removed them to a distance from his court, 
and placed them in situations where they could 
do no harm, and he warned his commanders from 
being in any wise influenced by their counsels or 
aided by their arms. 

He now confided entirely in his Arabian 
troops, and in the Moorish squadrons from 
Africa, and with their aid he completed the con- 
quest of Lusitania to the ultimate parts of the 
Algarbe, or west, even to the shores of the great 
Ocean sea.-^ From hence he sent his generals 
to overrun all those vast and rugged sierras, 
which rise like ramparts along the ocean borders 
of the peninsula ; and they carried the standard 
of Islam in triumph even to the Mountains of 
Biscay, collecting all manner of precious spoil. 

" It is not enough, O Abdalasis," said Ayub, 
" that we conquer and rule this country with the 
sword ; if we wish our dominion to be secure, 
we must cultivate the arts of peace, and study to 
secure the confidence and promote the welfare of 
the people we have conquered." Abdalasis rel- 
ished counsel which accorded so well with his 
own beneficent nature. He endeavored, therefore, 
to allay the ferment and confusion of the conquest ; 
forbade, under rigorous punishment, all wanton 
spoil or oppression, and protected the native in- 
habitants in the enjoyment and cultivation of their 

1 Algarbe, or Algarbia, in Arabic signifies the west, as Ax* 
arkia is the east, Algufia the north, and Aquibla the south. 
This will serve to explain some of the geographical names on 
the peninsula which are of Arabian origin. 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 20l 

lands, and the pursuit of all useful occupations. 
By the advice of Ayub, also, he encouraged great 
numbers of industrious Moors and Arabs to emi- 
grate from Africa, and gave them houses and 
lands ; thus introducing a peaceful and Mahometan 
population in the conquered provinces. 

The good effect of the counsels of Ayub were 
soon apparent. Instead of a sudden but transient 
influx of wealth, made by the ruin of the land, 
which left the country desolate, a regular and 
permanent revenue sprang up, produced by re- 
viving prosperity, and gathered without violence. 
Abdalasis ordered it to be faithfully collected, and 
deposited in coffers by public officers appointed 
in each province for the purpose ; and the whole 
was sent by ten deputies to Damascus to be laid 
at the feet of the caliph ; not as the spoils of a 
vanquished country, but as the peaceful trophies 
of a wisely administered government. 

The common herd of warliiie adventurers, the 
mere men of the sword, who had thronged to 
Spain for the purpose of ravage and rapine, were 
disappointed at being thus checked in their career, 
and at seeing the reign of terror and violence 
drawing to a close. What manner of leader is 
this, said they, who forbids us to make spoil of 
the enemies of Islam, and to enjoy the land we 
have wrested from the unbelievers? The partisans 
of Julian, also, whispered their calumnies. "Be- 
hold," said they, " with what kindness he treats 
the enemies of your faith ; all the Christians who 
have borne arms against you, and withstood your 
entrance into the land, are favored and protected ; 



202 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

but it is enough for a Christian to have befriended 
the cause of the Moslems to be singled out by 
Abdalasis for persecution, and to be driven with 
scorn from his presence." 

These insinuations fermented the discontent of 
the turbulent and rapacious among the Moslems, 
but all the friends of peace and order and good 
government applauded the moderation of the 
youthful emir. 




I 



CHAPTER XVI. 



Loves of Abdalasis and Exilona. 




I BDALASIS bad fixed his seat of govern- 
ment at Seville, as permitting easy and 
frequent communications with the coast 
of Africa. His palace was of noble architecture, 
with delightful gardens extending to the banks of 
the Gaudalquivir. In a part of this palace 
resided many of the most beautiful Christian 
females, who were detained as captives, or rather 
hostages, to insure the tranquillity of the country. 
Those who were of noble rank were entertained 
in bixury and magnificence ; slaves were appointed 
to attend upon them, and they were arrayed in 
the richest apparel and decorated with the most 
precious jewels. Those of tender age were taught 
all graceful accomplishments ; and even where 
tasks were imposed, they were of the most elegant 
and agreeable kind. They embroidered, they 
sang, they danced, and passed their times in pleas- 
ing revelry. Many were lulled by this easy and 
voluptuous existence ; the scenes of horror through 
which they had passed were gradually effaced 
from their minds, and a desire was often awakened 
of rendering themselves pleasing in the eyes of 
their conquerors. 



204 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

After his return from his campaign in Lusitania 
and during the intervals of public duty, Abdalasis 
solaced himself in the repose of this palace, and 
in the society of these Christian captives. He 
remarked one among them who ever sat apart, 
and neither joined in the labors nor sports of her 
companions. 

She was lofty in her demeanor, and the others 
always paid her reverence ; yet sorrow had given 
a softness to her charms, and rendered her beauty 
touching to the heart. Abdalasis found her one 
day in the garden with her companions ; they had 
adorned their heads with flowers, and were sing- 
ing the songs of their country, but she sat by 
herself and wept. The youthful emir was moved 
by her tears, and accosted her in gentle accents. 
'' O fairest of women 1 ** said he, " why dost thou 
weep, and why is thy heart troubled ? " " Alas ! '* 
replied she, " have I not cause to weep, seeing 
how sad is my condition, and how great the 
height from which I have fallen ? In me you 
behold the wretched Exilona, but lately the wife 
of Roderick and the Queen of Spain, now a 
captive and a slave ! " and, having said these 
words, she cast her eyes upon the earth, and her 
tears began to flow afresh. 

The generous feelings of Abdalasis were aroused 
it the sight of beauty and royalty in tears. He 
gave orders that Exilona should be entertained 
in a style befitting her former rank ; he appointed 
a train of female attendants to wait upon her, and 
a guard of honor to protect her from all intrusion. 
All the time that he could spare from public con- 



TEIE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 205 

cerns was passed in her society ; and he even 
neglected his divan, and suffered his counselors 
to attend in vain, while he lingered in the apart- 
ments and gardens of the palace, listening to the 
voice of Exilona. 

The discreet Ayub saw the danger into which 
he was falling. '• Abdalasis," said he, " re- 
member the words of thy father. ' Beware, my 
son,' said he, ' of the seductions of love. It ren- 
ders the mighty weak, and makes slaves of 
princes ! ' " A blush kindled on the cheek of Ab- 
dalasis, and he was silent for a moment. " Why,'* 
said he, at length, " do you seek to charge me 
with such weakness ? It is one thing to be in- 
fatuated by the charms of a woman, and another 
to be touched by her misfortunes. It is the duty 
of my station to console a princess who has been 
reduced to the lowest humiliation by the triumphs 
of our arms. In doing so I do but listen to the 
dictates of true mtignanimity." 

Ayub was silent, but his brow was clouded, 
and for once Abdalasis parted in discontent from 
his counselor. In proportion as he was dis- 
satisfied with others or with himself, he sought 
the society of Exilona, for there was a charm in 
her conversation that banished every care. He 
daily became more and more enamored, and 
Exilona gradually ceased to weep, and began to 
listen with secret pleasure to the words of her 
Arab lover. When, however, he sought to urge 
nis passion, she recollected the light estimation in 
which her sex was held by the followers of Ma- 
homet, and assumed a countenance grave and 
{^evere. 



206 THE SUBJUuaFION OF SPAIN, 

" Fortune," said she, " has cast me at thy ^kiQi ; 
behold I am thy captive and thy spoil. But 
though my person is in thy power, my soul is un- 
subdued ; and know that, should I lack force to 
defend my honor, I have resolution to wash out 
all stain upon it with my blood. I trust, how- 
ever, in thy courtesy as a cavalier to respect me 
in my reverses, remembering what I have been, 
and that though the crown has been wrested from 
my brow, the royal blood still warms within my 
veins.^ 

The lofty spirit of Exilona, and her proud re- 
pulse, served but to increase the passion of Ab- 
dalasis. He besought her to unite her destiny 
with his, and share his state and power, promising 
that she should have no rival nor copartner in his 
heart. Whatever scruples the captive queen 
might originally have felt to a union with one of 
the conquerors of her lord, and an enemy of her 
adopted faith, they were easily vanquished, and 
she became the bride of Abdalasis. He would 
fain have persuaded her to return to the faith of 
her fathers ; but though of Moorish origin, and 
brought up in the doctrines of Islam, she was too 
thorough a convert to Christianity to consent, and 
looked back with disgust upon a religion that 
admitted a plurality of wives. 

When the sage Ayub heard of the resolution 
of Abdalasis to espouse Exilona he was in de- 
spair. " Alas, my cousin ! " said he, " what in- 
fatuation possesses thee ? Hast thou then entirely 

1 Faxardo, Corona Gothica^ T. 1, p. 492. Joan. Mar. de 
Reb. Hisp. L. 6, c. 27. 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 207 

forgotten the letter of tli j father ? ' Beware, my 
sou/ said he, ' of love ; it is an idle passion, which 
enfeebles the heart and blinds the judgment.' " 
But Abdalasis interrupted him with impatience. 
'' My father," said he, " spake but of the blandish- 
ments of wanton love ; against these I am secured 
by my virtuous passion for Exilona." 

Ayub would fain have impressed upon him the 
dangers he ran of awakening suspicion in the 
caliph, and discontent among the Moslems, by 
wedding the queen of the conquered Roderick, 
and one who was an enemy to the religion of 
Mahomet ; but the youthful lover only listened 
to his passion. Their nuptials were celebrated 
at Seville with great pomp and rejoicings, and he 
gave his bride the name of Omalisara ; that is to 
say, she of the precious jewels ; ^ but she con- 
tinued to be known among the Christians by the 
Dame of Exilona. 

1 Conde, pt. 1, c. 17. 






CHAPTER XVIL 

Fate of Abdalasis and Exilona. — Death of Muza. 

fOSSESSrON, instead of cooling the 
passion of Abdalasis, only added to its 
force ; he became blindly enamored of 
his beautiful bride, and consulted her will in all 
things ; nay, having lost all relish for the advice 
of the discreet Ayub, he was even guided by the 
counsels of his wife in the affairs of government. 
Exilona, unfortunately, had once been a queen, 
and she could not remember her regal glories 
without regret. She saw that Abdalasis had j 
great power in the land, — greater even than hadj 
been possessed by the Gothic kings, — but she! 
considered it as wanting in true splendor until his 
brow should be encircled with the outward badge 
of royalty. One day when they were alone in 
the palace of Seville, and the heart of Abdalasis 
was given up to tenderness, she addressed him in 
fond yet timid accents. " Will not my lord be 
offended," said she, ^^ if I make an unwelcome re- 
quest ? " Abdalasis regarded her with a smile. 
" What canst thou ask of me, Exilona," said he, 
" that it would not be a happiness for me to 
grant ? " Then Exilona produced a crown of 
gold, sparkling with jewels, which had belonged 
to the king, Don Roderick, and said, " Behold, 



TEE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN 209 

thou art king in authority ; be so in thy outward 
state. There is majesty and glory in a crown ; it 
gives a sanctity to power." Then putting the 
crown upon his head, she held a mirror before 
him that he might behold the majesty of his ap- 
pearance. Abdalasis chid her fondly, and put the 
crown away from him, but Exilona persisted in 
her prayer. " Never," said she, " has there been 
a king in Spain that did not wear a crown." So 
Abdalasis suffered himself to be beguiled by the 
blandishments of his wife, and to be invested 
with the crown and sceptre and other signs of 
royalty.^ 

It is affirmed by ancient and discreet chron- 
iclers, that Abdalasis only assumed this royal 
state in the privacy of his palace, and to gratify 
the eye of his youthful bride ; but where was a 
secret ever confined within the walls of a palace? 
The assumption of the insignia of the ancient 
Gothic kings was soon rumored about, and caused 
the most violent suspicions. The Moslems had 
already felt jealous of the ascendency of this 
beautiful woman, and it was now confidently as- 
serted that Abdalasis, won by her persuasions, 
had secretly turned Christian. 

The enemies of Abdalasis, those whose rapa- 
cious spirits had been kept in check by the be- 
neficence of his rule, seized upon this occasion to 
ruin him. They sent letters to Damascus, ac- 
cusing him of apostacy, and of an intention to 
seize upon the throne in right of his wife, 

^Ckron, gen. de Alonzo el Sabio, p. 3. Joan 3 far. de Reb. 
IJisp. lib. 6, c. 27. Conde, pt. 1, c. 19. 
14 



210 THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 

Exilona, as widow of the late king Roderick. It 
was added, that the Christians were prepared to 
flock to his standard as the only means of regain- 
ing ascendency in their country. 

These accusations arrived at Damascus just 
after the accession of the sanguinary Suleiman to 
the throne, and in the height of his persecution 
of the unfortunate Muza. The caliph waited 
for no proofs in confirmation ; he immediately 
sent private orders that Abdalasis should be put 
to death, and that the same fate should be dealt 
to his two brothers who governed in Africa, as a 
sure means of crushing the conspiracy of this 
ambitious family. 

The mandate for the death of Abdalasis was 
sent to Abhilbar ben Obeidah and Zeyd ben 
Nabegat, both of whom had been cherished 
friends of Muza, and had lived in intimate favor 
and companionship with his son. When they 
read the fatal parchment, the scroll fell from their 
trembling hands. " Can such hostility exist 
against the family of Muza ? " exclaimed they. 
" Is this the reward for such great and glorious 
services?" The cavaliers remained for some time 
plunged in horror and consternation. The order, 
however, was absolute, and left them no discre- 
tion. " Allah is great," said they, " and com- 
mands US to obey our sovereign." So they pre- 
pared to execute the bloody mandate with the 
blind fidelity of Moslems. 

It was necessary to proceed with caution. The 
open and magnanimous character of Abdalasis 
had won the hearts of a great part of the sol- 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN, 211 

Jiery, and his magnificence pleased the cavaliers 
who formed his guard ; it was feared, therefore^ 
that a sanguinary opposition would be made to 
any attempt upon his person. The rabble, how- 
ever, had been imbittered against him from his 
having restrained their depredations, and because 
they thought him an apostate in his heart, se- 
cretly bent upon betraying them to the Christians. 
While, therefore, the two officers made vigilant 
dispositions to check any movement on the part 
of the soldiery, they let loose the blind fury of 
the populace by publishing the fatal mandate. In 
a moment the city was in a ferment, and there 
was a ferocious emulation who should be first to 
execute the orders of the caliph. 

Abdalasis was at this time at a palace in the 
country not far from Seville, commanding a de- 
lightful view of the fertile plain of the Guadal- 
quivir. Hither he was accustomed to retire from 
the tumult of the court, and to pass his time 
among groves and fountains and the sweet repose 
of gardens, in the society of Exilona. It was 
the dawn of day, the hour of early prayer, when 
the furious populace arrived at this retreat. Ab- 
dalasis was offering up his orisons in a small 
mosque which he had erected for the use of the 
neighboring peasantry. Exilona was in a chapel 
in the interior of the palace, where her confessor, 
a holy friar, was performing mass. They were 
both surprised at their devotions, and dragged 
forth by the hands of the rabble. A few guards, 
who attended at the palace, would have made de- 
fense, but they were overawed by the sight of the 
written mandate of the caliph. 



212 TEE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 

The captives were borne in triumph to Sevil/e. 
All the beneficent virtues of Abdalasis were for- 
gotten ; nor had the charms of Exilona any effect 
in softening the hearts of the populace. The 
brutal eagerness to shed blood, which seems in- 
herent in human nature, was awakened ; and woe 
to the victims when that eagerness is quickened by 
religious hate. The illustrious couple, adorned 
with all the graces of youth and beauty, were 
hurried to a scaffold in the great square of Seville, 
and there beheaded amidst the shouts and execra- 
tions of an infatuated multitude. Their bodies 
were left exposed upon the ground, and would 
have been devoured by dogs, had they not been 
gathered at night by some friendly hand, and 
poorly interred in one of the courts of their late 
dwelling. 

Thus terminated the loves and lives of Abdal- 
asis and Exilona, in the year of the Incarnation 
seven hundred and fourteen. Their names were 
held sacred as martyrs to the Christian faith ; 
but many read in their untimely fate a lesson 
against ambition and vainglory ; having sacri- 
ficed real power and substantial rule to the glit- 
tering bauble of a crown. 

The head of Abdalasis was embalmed and in- 
closed in a casket, and sent to Syria to the cruel 
Suleiman. The messenger who bore it overtook 
the caliph as he was performing a pilgrimage to 
Mecca. Muza was among the courtiers in his 
train, having been released from prison. On 
opening the casket and regarding its contents, 
the eyes of the tyrant sparkled with malignant 



THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN. 213 

satisfaction. Calling the unhappy father to his 
side, " Muza," said he, " dost thou know this 
head ? " The veteran recognized the features of 
bis beloved son, and turned his face away with 
anguish. ^' Yes ! well do I know it," replied he ; 
" and may the curse of God light upon him who 
has destroyed a better man than himself." 

Without adding another word, he retired to 
Mount Deran, a prey to devouring melancholy. 
He shortly after received tidings of the death of 
his two sons, whom he had left in the govern- 
ment of western Africa, and who had fallen vic- 
tims to the jealous suspicions of the Caliph. 
His advanced age was not proof against these 
repeated blows, and this utter ruin of his late 
prosperous family, and he sank into his grave 
sorrowing and broken-hearted. 

Such was the lamentable end of the conqueror 
of Spain ; w^hose great achievements were not 
sufficient to atone, in the eye of his sovereign, 
for a weakness to which all men ambitious of 
renown are subject ; and whose triumphs eventu- 
ally brought persecution upon himself and un- 
timely death upon his children. 

Here ends the legend of the Subjugation of 
Spain. 



LEGEND 



COUNT JULIAN AND HIS FAMILY. 



I 



LEGEND 



COUNT JULIAN AND HIS FAMILY. 




IJN the preceding legends is darkly shad- 
owed out a true story of the woes of 
Spain. It is a story full of wholesome 
admonition, rebuking the insolence of human 
pride and the vanity of human ambition, and 
showing the futility of all greatness that is not 
strongly based on virtue. We have seen, in 
brief space of time, most of the actors in this 
historic drama disappearing, one by one, from the 
scene, and going down, conqueror and conquered, 
to gloomy and unhonored graves. It remains to 
close this eventful history by holding up, as a 
signal warning, the fate of the traitor whose per- 
fidious scheme of veno^eance brouo^ht ruin on his 
native land. 

Many and various are the accounts given in 
ancient chronicles of the fortunes of Count Julian 
and his family, and many are the traditions on 
the subject still extant among the populace of 
Spain, and perpetuated in those countless ballads 



218 COUNT JULIAN AND HIS FAMILY. 

sung by peasants and muleteers, which spread a 
singular charm over the whole of this romantic 
land. 

He who has travelled in Spain in the true way 
in which the country ought to be travelled, — so- 
journing in its remote provinces, rambling among 
the rugged defiles and secluded valleys of its 
mountains, and making himself familiar with the 
people in their out-of-the-way hamlets and rarely- 
visited neighborhoods, — will remember many a 
group of travellers and muleteers, gathered of an 
evening around the door or the spacious hearth 
of a mountain venta, wrapped in their brown 
cloaks, and listening with grave and profound 
attention to the long historic ballad of some rustic 
troubadour, either recited with the true ore ro- 
iundo and modulated cadences of Spanish elocu- 
tion, or chanted to the tinkling of a guitar. In 
this way he may have heard the doleful end of 
Count Julian and his family recounted in tradi- 
tionary rhymes, that have been handed down 
from generation to generation. The particulars, 
however, of the following wild legend are chiefly 
gathered from the writings of the pseudo Moor 
Rasis ; how far they may be safely taken as his- 
toric facts it is impossible now to ascertain ; we 
must content ourselves, therefore, with their an- 
swering to the exactions of poetic justice. 

As yet everything had prospered with Count 
Julian. He had gratified his vengeance ; he had 
been successful in his treason, and had acquired 
countless riches from the ruin of his country. 
But it is not outward success that constitutes 



COUNT JULIAN AND HIS FAMILY. 219 

prosperity. The tree flourishes with fruit and 
foliage while blasted and withering at the heart. 
Wherever he went, Count Julian read hatred ir 
every- eye. The Christians cursed him as the 
cause of all their woe ; the Moslems despised and 
distrusted him as a traitor. Men whispered to- 
gether as he approached, and then turned away 
in scorn; and mothers snatched away their chil- 
dren with horror if he offered to caress them. 
He withered under the execration of his fellow- 
men, and last, and worst of all, he began to 
loathe himself. He tried in vain to persuade 
himself that he had but taken a justifiable ven- 
geance ; he felt that no personal wrong can jus- 
tify the crime of treason to one's country. 

For a time he sought in luxurious indulgence 
to soothe or forget the miseries of the mind. He 
assembled round him every pleasure and gratifi- 
cation that boundless wealth could purchase, but 
all in vain. He had no relish for the dainties 
of his board ; music had no charm wherewith to 
lull his soul, and remorse drove slumber from his 
pillow. He sent to Ceuta for his wife Fran- 
dina, his daughter Florinda, and his youthful son 
Alarbot ; hoping in the bosom of his family to 
find that sympathy and kindness which he could 
no longer meet with in this world. Their pres- 
ence, however, brought him no alleviation. Flo- 
rinda, the daughter of his heart, for whose sake 
he had undertaken this signal vengeance, was 
sinking a victim to its effects. Wherever she 
went, she found herself a byword of shame and 
reproach. The outrage she had suffered was im* 



220 COUNT JULIAN AND HIS FAMILY. 

puted to her as wantonness, and her calamity waa 
magnified into a crime. The Christians never 
mentioned her name without a curse, and the 
Moslems, the gainers by her misfortune, spake of 
her only by the appellation of Cava, the vilest 
epithet they could apply to woman. 

But the opprobrium of the world was nothing 
to the upbraiding of her own heart. She charged 
herself with all the miseries of these disastrous 
wars — the deaths of so many gallant cavaliers, 
the conquest and perdition of her country. The 
anguish of her mind preyed upon the beauty of 
her person. Her eye, once soft and tender in its 
expression, became wild and haggard ; her cheek 
lost its bloom, and became hollow and pallid, and 
at times there was desperation in her words. 
When her father sought to embrace her she with- 
drew with shuddering from his arms, for she 
thoutjht of his treason and the ruin it had brought 
upon Spain. Her wretchedness increased after 
her return to her native country, until it rose to 
a degree of frenzy. One day when she was walk- 
ing with her parents in the garden of their palace, 
she entered a tower, and, having barred the door, 
ascended to the battlements. From thence she 
called to them in piercing accents, expressive of 
her insupportable anguish and desperate determi- 
nation. " Let this city," said she, '- be henceforth 
called Malacca, in memorial of the most wretched 
of women, who therein put an end to her days.'* 
So saying, she threw herself headlong from the 
tower, and was dashed to pieces. The city, adds 
the ancient chronicler, received the name thus 



COUNT JULIAN AND HIS FAMILY. 221 

given it, though afterwards softened to Malaga, 
which it still retains in memory of the tragical 
end of Florinda. 

The Countess Frandina abandoned this scene 
of woe, and returned to Ceuta, accompanied by 
her infant son. She took with her the remains 
of her unfortunate dauo^hter, and crave them hon- 
orable sepulture in a mausoleum of the chapel be- 
longing to the citadel. Count Julian departed for 
Carthagena, where he remained plunged in hor- 
ror at this doleful event. 

About this time, the cruel Suleiman, having 
destroyed the family of Muza, had sent an Arab 
general, named Alahor, to succeed Abdalasis as 
emir or governor of Spain. The new emir was 
of a cruel and suspicious nature, and commenced 
his sway with a stern severity that soon made those 
under his command look back with regret to the 
easy rule of Abdalasis. He regarded with an eye 
of distrust the renegado Christians who had aided 
in the conquest, and who bore arms in the service 
of the Moslems ; but his deepest suspicions fell 
upon Count Julian. " He has been a traitor to 
his own countrymen," said he ; '^ how can we be 
sure that he will not prove traitor to us ? " 

A sudden insurrection of the Christians who 
had taken refuge in the Asturian Mountains, 
quickened his suspicions, and inspired him with 
fears of some dangerous conspiracy against his 
power. In the height of his anxiety, he be- 
thought him of an Arabian sage named Yuza, 
who had accompanied him from Africa. This 
^on of science was withered in form, and looked 



222 COUNT JULIAN AND HIS FAMILY. 

as if he had outlived the usual terra of mortal life. 
In the course of his studies and travels in the 
East, he had collected the knowledge and expe- 
rience of ages ; being skilled in astrology, and, it 
is said, in necromancy, and possesssing the mar- 
velous gift of prophecy or divination. To this 
expounder of mysteries Alahor applied to learn 
whether any secret treason menaced his safety. 

The astrologer listened with deep attention and 
overwhelming brow to all the surmises and suspi- 
cion of the emir, then shut himself up to consult 
his books and commune with those supernatural 
intelligences subservient to his wisdom. At an 
appointed hour the emir sought him in his cell. 
It was filled with the smoke of perfumes ; squares 
and circles and various diagrams were described 
upon the floor, and the astrologer was poring over 
a scroll of parchment, covered with cabalistic char- 
acters. He received Alahor with a gloomy and 
sinister aspect ; pretending to have discovered 
fearful portents in the heavens, and to have had 
strange dreams and mystic visions. 

" O emir," said he, " be on your guard ! treason 
is around you and in your path ; your life is iti 
peril. Beware of Count Julian and his family." 

" Enough," said the emir. " They shall all 
die! Parents and children — all shall die!" 

He forthwith sent a summons to Count Julian 
to attend him in Cordova. The messenger found 
him plunged in affliction for the recent death of 
his daughter. The count excused himself, on ac- 
count of this misfortune, from obeying the com- 
mands of the emir in person, but sent several of 



COUNT JULIAN AND HIS FAMILY, 223 

his adherents. His hesitation, and the circum 
stance of his having sent his family across the 
Btraits to Africa, were construed by the jealous 
mind of the emir into proofs of guilt. He no 
lonojer doubted his beinor concerned in the recent 
insurrections, and that he had sent his family 
away preparatory to an attempt by force of arms, 
to subvert the Moslem* domination. In his fury 
he put to death Siseburto and Evan, the nephews 
of Bishop Oppas and sons of the former king, Wi- 
tiza, suspecting them of taking part in the treason. 
Thus did they expiate their treachery to their 
country in the fatal battle of the Guadalete. 

Alahor next hastened to Carthagena to seize 
upon Count Julian. So rapid were his move- 
ments that the count had barely time to escape 
with fifteen cavaliers, with whom he took refuge 
in the strong castle of Marcuello, among the 
mountains of Aragon. The emir, enraged to be 
disappointed of his prey, embarked at Carthagena 
and crossed the straits to Ceuta, to make captives 
of the Countess Frandina and her son. 

The old chronicle from which we take this part 
of our legend, presents a gloomy picture of the 
countess in the stern fortress to which she had 
fled for refuge — a picture heightened by super- 
natural horrors. These latter the sagacious rea- 
der will admit or object according to the measure 
of his faith and judgment ; always remembering 
that in dark and eventful times, like those in 
question, involving the destinies of nations, the 
downfall of kingdoms, and the crimes of rulers 
and mighty men, the hand of fate is sometimes 



224 COUNT JULIAN AND HIS FAMILY. 

Strangely visible, and confounds the wisdom of 
the worldly wise by intimations and portents 
above the ordinary course of things. With this 
proviso, we make no scruple to follow the ven- 
erable chronicler in his narration. 

Now so it happened that the Countess Fran- 
dina was seated late at night in her chamber, in 
the citadel of Ceuta, which stands on a lofty 
rock, overlooking the sea. She was revolving in 
gloomy thought the late disasters of her family, 
when she heard a mournful noise like that of 
the sea-breeze moaning about the castle walls. 
Raising her eyes, she beheld her brother, the 
Bishop Oppas, at the entrance of the chamber. 
She advanced to embrace him, but he forbade 
her with a motion of his hand, and she observed 
that he was ghastly pale, and that his eyes 
glared as with lambent flames. 

" Touch me not, sister," said he, with a mourn- 
ful voice, "lest thou be consumed by the fire 
w^hich rages within me. Guard well thy son, 
for bloodhounds are upon* his track. His inno- 
cence might have secured him the protection 
of Heaven, but our crimes have involved him in 
our common ruin." He ceased to speak, and 
was no longer to be seen. His coming and 
froino- were alike without noise, and the door of 
the chamber remained fast bolted. 

On the following morning a messenger arrived 
with tidings that the Bishop Oppas had been 
made prisoner in battle by the insurgent Chris- 
tians of the Asturias, and had died in fetters in 
a tower of the mountains. The same messenger 



COUNT JULIAN AND EIS FAMILY. 225 

brought word that the Emir Alahor had put to 
death several of the friends of Count Julian; 
had obliged him to fly for his life to a castle in 
Aragon, and was embarking with a formidable 
force for Ceuta. 

The Countess Frandina, as has already been 
shown, was of courageous heart, and danger 
made her desperate. There were fifty Moorish 
soldiers in the garrison ; she feared that they 
would prove treacherous, and take part with their 
countrymen. Summoning her officers, therefore, 
she informed them of their danger, and com- 
manded them to put those Moors to death. The 
guards sallied forth to obey her orders. Thirty- 
five of the Moors were in the great square, un- 
suspicious of any danger, when they were sever- 
ally singled out by their executioners, and, at a 
concerted signal, killed on the spot. The re- 
maining fifteen took refuge in a tower. They 
saw the armada of the emir at a distance, and 
hoped to be able to hold out until its arrival. 
The soldiers of the countess saw it also, and 
made extraordinary efforts to destroy these inter- 
nal enemies before they should be attacked from 
without. They made repeated attempts to storm 
the tower, but were as often repulsed with severe 
loss. They then undermined it, supporting its 
foundations by stanchions of wood. To these 
they set fire, and withdrew to a distance, keeping 
up a constant shower of missiles to prevent the 
Moors from sallying forth to extinguish the 
flames. The stanchions were rapidly consumed, 
and when they gave way the tower fell to the 
15 



226 COUNT JULIAN AND EIB FAMILY. 

ground. Some of the Moors were crushed 
among the ruins ; others were flung to a distance 
and dashed among the rocks ; those who survived 
were instantly put to the sword. 

The fleet of the emir arrived at Ceuta about 
the hour of vespers. He landed, but found the 
orates closed ao:ainst him. The countess herself 
spoke to him from a tower, and set him at defi- 
ance. The emir immediately lay siege to the 
city. He consulted the astrologer Yuza, who 
told him that for seven days his star would have 
the ascendant over that of the youth Alarbot, 
but after that time the youth would be safe from 
his power, and would effect his ruin. 

Alahor immediately ordered the city to be 
assailed on every side, and at length carried it 
by storm. The countess took refuge with her 
forces in the citadel, and made desperate defense ; 
but the walls were sapped and mined, and she 
saw that all resistance would soon be unavailing. 
Her only thoughts now were to conceal her 
child. "- Surely," said she, " they will not think 
of seeking him among the dead." She led him, 
therefore, into the dark and dismal chapel." 
" Thou art not afraid to be alone in this dark- 
ness, my child ? " said she. 

" No, mother," replied the boy ; " darkness 
gives silence and sleep." She conducted him to 
the tomb of Florinda. " Fearest thou the dead, 
my child ? " " No, mother ; the dead can do no 
harm, and what should I fear from my sister ? " 

The countess opened the sepulchre. " Listen, 
my son," said she. " There are fierce and cruel 



COUNT JULIAN AND HIS FAMILY. 227 

people who have come hither to murder thee. 
Stay here in company with thy sister, and be 
quiet as thou dost value thy life ! " The boy, 
who was of a courageous nature, did as he was 
bidden, and remained there all that day, and all 
the night, and the next day until the third hour. 

In the mean time the walls of the citadel were 
sapped, the troops of the emir poured in at the 
breach, and a great part of the garrison was put 
to the sw^ord. The countess w^as taken prisoner, 
and brought before the emir. She appeared in 
his presence with a haughty demeanor, as if she 
had been a queen receiving homage ; but when 
he demanded her son, she faltered and turned 
pale, and replied, "My son is with the dead." 

" Countess," said the emir, " I am not to be 
deceived ; tell me w^here you have concealed the 
boy, or tortures shall wring from you the secret." 

" Emir," replied the countess, " may the great- 
est torments be my portion, both here and here- 
after, if what I speak be not the truth. My 
darling child lies buried with the dead." 

The emir was confounded by the solemnity of 
her words; but the withered astrologer Yuza^ 
who stood by his side regarding the countess 
from beneath his bushed eyebrows, perceived 
trouble in her countenance and equivocation in 
her words. " Leave this matter to me," whis- 
pered he to Alahor ; " I will produce the child." 

He ordered strict search to be made by the 
soldiery, and he obliged the countess to be 
always present. When they came to the chapel, 
her cheek turned pale and her lip quiveied. 



"228 COUNT JULIAN AND EIS FAMILY. 

" This," said the subtile astrologer, " is the place 
of concealment ! " 

The search throughout the chapel, however, 
was equally vain, and the soldiers were about to 
depart, when Yuza remarked a slight gleam of 
joy in the eye of the countess. " We are leav- 
ing our prey behind," thought he; "the countess 
is exulting." 

He now called to mind the words of her as- 
severation, that her child was with the dead. 
Turning suddenly to the soldiers, he ordered 
them to search the sepulchres. " If you find 
him not," said he, "drag forth the bones of that 
wanton Cava, that they may be burned, and the 
ashes scattered to the winds." 

The soldiers searched among the tombs, and 
found that of Florinda partly open. Within lay 
the boy in the sound sleep of childhood, and one 
of the soldiers took him gently in his arms to 
bear him to the emir. 

When the countess beheld that her child was 
discov^ered, she rushed into the presence of Alahor, 
and, forgetting all her pride, threw herself upon 
her knees before him. 

" Mercy ! mercy ! " cried she in piercing accents, 
"mercy on my son — my only child ! O emir! 
listen to a mother's prayer and my lips shall kiss 
ihy feet. As thou art merciful to him so may 
the most high God have mercy upon thee, and 
heap blessings on thy head." 

" Bear that frantic woman hence," said the 
9mir, " but guard her well." 

The countess was dragged away by the soldiery, 



COUNT JULIAN AND HIS FAMILY, 229 

without regard to her struggles and her cries, and 
confined in a dungeon of the citadel. 

The child was now brought to the emir. He 
had been awakened by the tumult, but gazed 
fearlessly on the stern countenances of the soldiers. 
Had the heart of the emir been capable of pity, 
it would have been touched by the tender youth 
and innocent beauty of the child ; but his heart 
was as the nether millstone, and he was bent upon 
the destruction of the whole family of Julian. 
Calling to him the astrologer, he gave the child 
into his charge with a secret command. The 
withered son of the desert took the boy by the 
hand and led him up the winding staircase of a 
tower. When they reached the summit, Yuza 
placed him on the battlements. 

*' Cling not to me, my child," said he ; " there 
is no danger." " Father, I fear not," said the 
undaunted boy ; " yet it is a wondrous height ! " 

The child looked around with delighted eyes. 
The breeze blew his curling locks from about his 
face, and his cheek glowed at the boundless pros- 
pect ; for the tower was reared upon that lofty 
promontory on which Hercules founded one of 
his pillars. The surges of the sea were heard 
far below, beating upon the rocks, the sea-gull 
screamed and wheeled about the foundations of 
the tower, and the sails of lofty caraccas were as 
mere specks on the bosom of the deep. 

"Dost thou know yonder land beyond the blue 
water?" said Yuza. 

" It is Spain," replied the boy ; " it is the laud 
pf my father and my mother." 



230 COUNT JULIAN AND HIS FAMILY, 

" Then stretch forth thy hands and bless it, my 
child," said the astrologer. 

The boy let go his hold of the wall ; and, as 
he stretched forth his hands, the aged son of 
Ishmael, exerting all the strength of his withered 
limbs, suddenly pushed him over the battlements. 
He fell headlong from the top of that tall tower, 
and not a bone in his tender frame but was crushed 
upon the rocks beneath. 

Alahor came to the foot of the winding stairs. 

" Is the boy safe ? " cried he. 

" He is safe," replied Yuza ; " come and be- 
hold the truth with thine own eyes." 

The emir ascended the tower and looked over 
the battlements, and beheld the body of the child, 
a shapeless mass on the rocks far below, and the 
sea-gulls hovering about it ; and he gave orders 
that it should be thrown into the sea, which was 
done. 

On the following morning the countess was led 
forth from her dungeon into the public square. 
She knew of the death of her child, and that her 
own death was at hand, but she neither wept nor 
supplicated. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes 
were haggard with watching, and her cheek was 
as the monumental stone ; but there were the re- 
mains of commanding beauty in her countenance 
and the majesty of her presence awed even the 
rabble into respect. 

A multitude of Christian prisoners were then 
brought forth, and Alahor cried out ; " Behold the 
wife of Count Julian ! behold one of that traitorous 
family which has brought ruin upon yourselves 



COUNT JULIAN AND H.S FAMILY, 231 

and upon your country 1" And h« ordered that 
they should stone her to death. But the Chris- 
tians drew back with horror from the deed, and 
said, " In the hand of God is vengeance ; let not 
her blood be upon our heads." Upon this the emir 
swore with horrid imprecations that whoever of 
the captives refused should himself be stoned to 
death. So the cruel order was executed, and the 
Countess Frandina perished by the hands of her 
countrymen. Having thus accomplished his bar- 
barous errand, the emir embarked for Spain, and 
ordered the citadel of Ceuta to be set on fire, 
and crossed the straits at night by the light of its 
towering flames. 

The death of Count Julian, which took place 
not long after, closed the tragic story of his family. 
How he died remains involved in doubt. Some 
assert that the cruel Alahor pursued him to his 
retreat among the mountains, and, haviiig taken 
him prisoner, beheaded him ; others ihat the 
Moors confined him in a dungeon, afid pit an end 
to his life with lingering torments ; while others 
affirm that the tower of the castle of Marcuello^ 
near Huesca, in Aragon, in which he took refuge, 
fell on him and crushed him to pieces. All agree 
that his latter end was miserable in the CKtreme 
and his death violent. The curse of Heaven, 
which had thus pursued him to the grave, was 
extended to the very place which had given him 
shelter ; for we are told that the castle is no longer 
inhabited on account of the strange and horrible 
noises that are heard in it ; and that visions of 
armed men are seen above it in the air ; which 



232 COUNT JVLIAN AND HIS FAMILY. 

are supposed to be the troubled spirits of the 
apostate Christians who favored the cause of the 
traitor. 

In after times a stone sepulchre was shown, 
outside of the chapel of the castle, as the tomb 
of Count Julian ; but the traveller and the pilgrim 
avoided it, or bestowed upon it a malediction ; 
and the name of Julian has remained a by-word 
and a scorn in the land for the warning of all 
generations. Such ever be the lot of him who 
betrays his country. 

Here end the legends of the Conquest of 
Spain. 

Written in the Alhambra, June 10, 1829. 



NOTE TO THE PRECEDING LEGEND. 



El licenciado Ardevines (lib. 2, c. 8) dize que 
dichos Duendos caseros, o los del aire, hazen aparacer 
exercitos y peleas, como lo que se cuenta per tradicion 
(y aun algunos personas lo deponen como testigos de 
vista) de la torre y castello de Marcuello, lugar al 
pie de las montanas de Aragon (aora inhabitable, per 
las grandes y espantables ruidos, que en el se oyen) 
donde se retraxo el Conde Don Julian, causa de la 
perdicion de Espana ; sobre el qual castillo, deze se 
ven en el aire ciertas visiones, como de soldados, que 
el vulgo dize son los cavalleros y gente que le favor- 
ecian. 



COUNT JULIAN AND HIS FAMILY, 233 

Vide " El Ente Dislucidado," por Fray Antonio de 
Fuentalapena, Capucliin. Seccion 3, Subseccion 5, 
Instancia 8, I^um. 644. 

As readers unversed in the Spanish language may 
wish to know the testimony of the worthy and dis- 
creet Capuchin friar, Antonio de Fuentalapena, we 
subjoin a translation of it ; — 

" The licentiate Ardevines (book ii., chap. 8) says 
that the said house fairies (or familiar spirits), or 
those of the air, cause the apparitions of armies and 
battles, — such as those which are related in tradition 
(and some persons even depose to the truth of them 
as eye-witnesses), of the town and castle of Marcuello, 
a fortress at the foot of the mountains of Aragon (at 
present uninhabitable, on account of the great and 
frightful noises heard in it), the place of retreat of 
Count Don Julian, the cause of the perdition of 
Spain. It is said that certain apparitions of soldiers 
are seen in the air, which the vulgar say are those 
of the courtiers and people who aided him." 



I 



I 



THE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 



I 



[The " Legend of Pelayo," a fragment of which w*s printed 
in "Th<? Spirit of the Fair," in 1864, and another, entitled 
" Pelajo and the Merchant's Daughter," in " The Knicker- 
bocker," in 1840, is now first published entire. — Ed.] 



THE LEGEND OF PELAYO- 




CHAPTER I. 

Obscurity of the Ancient Chronicles. — The Loves of Dona 
Lucia and the Duke Favila. — Birth of Pelayo, and what 
happened thereupon; His Early Fortunes, and His Tute- 
lage under the veteran Count Grafeses. 

llT is the common lamentation of Spanish 
historians that, in the obscure and mel- 
ancholy space of time which succeeded 
the perdition of their country, its history is a 
mere wilderness of dubious facts, wild exaggera- 
tions, and evident fables. Many learned men in 
cells and cloisters have passed their lives in the 
weary and fruitless task of attempting to correct 
incongruous events and reconcile absolute contra- 
dictions. The worthy Jesuit Pedro Abarca con- 
fesses that for more than forty years, during 
which he had been employed in theological con- 
troversies, he had never found any questions so 
obscure and inexplicable as those rising out of 
this portion of Spanish history ; and that the 
only fruit of an indefatigable, prolix, and even 
prodigious study of the subject, was a melan- 
choly and mortifying indecision.^ 

1 Abarca, Anales de Aragon. Ante regno, § 2. 



238 THE LEGEND OF PELAYQ. 

Let us console ourselves, therefore, in our 
attempts to thread this mazy labyrinth with the 
reflection that, if we occasionally err and become 
bewildered, we do but share the errors and per- 
plexities of our graver and more laborious pre- 
decessors ; and that, if we occasionally stray into 
the flowery by-ways of fanciful tradition, we are 
as likely to arrive at the truth as those who 
travel by more dry and dusty but not more au- 
thenticated paths. 

We premise these suggestions before proceed- 
ing to cull, from the midst of the fables and ex- 
travagances of ancient chronicles, a few particu- 
lars of the story of Pelayo, the deliverer of 
Spain ; whose name, like that of William Wal- 
lace, the hero of Scotland, will ever be linked 
with the glory of his country ; but linked, like 
his, by a band in which fact and fiction are 
indissolubly mingled. 

In the ensuing pages it is our intention to 
give little more than an abstract of an old chron- 
icle teeming with extravagances, yet containing 
facts of admitted credibility, and presenting pic- 
tures of Spanish life, partly sylvan, partly chival- 
rous, which have all the quaint merit of the 
curious delineations in old tapestry. 

The origin of Pelayo is wrapped in great 
obscurity, though all writers concur in making 
him of royal Gothic lineage. The chronicle in 
question makes Pelayo the offspring of a love 
affair in the court of Ezica, one of the last of 
the Gothic kings, who held his seat of govern- 
ment at Toledo. Among the noble damsels 



THE LEGEND OF PELATO. 239 

brought up in the royal household was the beau- 
tiful Lucia, niece and maid of honor to the queen 
A mutual passion subsisted between her and 
Favila, the youthful Duke of Cantabria, one of 
the most accomplished cavaliers of the kingdom. 
The duke, however, had a powerful rival in the 
Prince Witiza, son to the king, and afterwards 
known, for the profligacy of his reign, by the 
name of Witiza the Wicked. The prince, to rid 
himself of a favored rival, procured the banish- 
ment of Favila to his estates in Cantabria ; not, 
however, before he had been happy in his loves 
in stolen interviews with the fair Lucia. The 
cautious chronicler, however, lets us know that a 
kind of espousal took place, by the lovers plight- 
ing their faith with solemn vows before an image 
of the Virgin, and as the image gave no sign of 
dissent by way of forbidding the bans, the wor- 
thy chronicler seems to consider them as good as 
man and wife. 

After the departure of the duke, the prince 
renewed his suit with stronger hope of success, 
but met with a repulse which converted his love 
into implacable and vengeful hate. 

The beautiful Lucia continued in attendance 
on the queen, but soon became sensible of the 
consequences of her secret and informal nuptials 
so tacitly sanctioned by the Virgin. In the pro- 
cess of time, with great secrecy, she gave birth 
to a male child, whom she named Pelayo. For 
fifteen days the infant was concealed in her 
apartment, and she trusted all was safe, when, to 
her great terror, she learned that her secret had 



240 THE LEGEND OF PEL AY 0, 

been betrayed to Prince Witiza, and that search 
was to be made for the evidence of her weakness. 
The dread of public scorn and menace of a 
cruel death overcame even the feelings of a 
mother. Through means of a trusty female of 
her chamber she procured a little ark, so con- 
structed as to be impervious to water. She then 
arrayed her infant in costly garments, wrapping 
it in a mantle of rich brocade, and when about 
to part with it, kissed it many times, and laid it 
in her lap, and wept over it. At length the 
child was borne away by the Duena of her 
chamber and a faithful handmaid. It was dark 
midnight when they conveyed it to the borders 
of the Tagus, where it washes the rocky founda- 
tions of Toledo. Covering it from the dew and 
night air, they committed the ark to the eddying 
current, which soon swept it from the shore. As 
it glided down the rapid stream, says the ancient 
chronicle, they could mark its course even in the 
darkness of the night; for it w^as surrounded by 
a halo of celestial light.^ They knew not how 
to account for this prodigy, says the same authen- 
tic writer, until they remembered that the mother 
had blessed the child with the sign of the cross, 
and had baptized it with her own hand. Others, 
however, explain this marvel differently ; for in 
this child, say they, was centred the miraculous 
light which was afterwards to shine forth with 
comfort and deliverance in the darkest hour of 
Spain. 

1 El Moro Rasis, La Deslruycion de Espaiia. Rojas, Hist, 
Toledo, pt. 2, L. 4, cl. 



THE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 241 

The chronicle quoted by Fray Antonio Aga- 
pida goes on to state what befell the fair Lucia 
after the departure of the child. Her apart- 
ments were searched at early dawn, but no proof 
appeared to substantiate the charges made against 
her. The Prince Witiza persisted in accusing 
her publicly of having brought disgrace upon her 
line by her frailty. A cavalier of the court, 
suborned by him, supported the accusation by an 
oath, and offered to maintain the truth of it by 
his sword. A month was granted by the king 
for the afflicted lady to find a champion, and a 
day appointed for the lists ; if none appeared, or 
if her champion were overcome, she was to be 
considered guilty and put to death. The day 
arrived, the accusing knight was on the ground 
in complete armor, proclamation was made, but 
no one stepped forward to defend the lady. At 
length a trumpet sounded ; an unknown knight, 
w^ith visor closed, entered the lists. The combat 
was long and doubtful, for it would appear as if 
the Holy Virgin was not perfectly satisfied with 
the nature of the espousals which had taken 
place before her image. At length the accusing 
knight was overcome and slain, to the great joy 
of the court and all the spectators, and the beau- 
tiful Lucia was pronounced as immaculate as the 
Virgin, her protectress. 

The unknown champion of course proved to be 
the Dnke of Cantabria. He obtained a pardon 
of the kino^ for returninoj from banishment with- 
out the royal permission ; what is more, he ob- 
tained permission formally to espouse the lady 
16 



242 THE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 

whose honor he had so gallantly established. 
Their nuptials were solemnized in due form and 
with great magnificence, after which he took his 
bloominoj bride to his castle in Cantabria, to be 
out of reach of the persecutions of the Prince 
Witiza. 

Having made this brief abstract of what occu- 
pies many a wordy page in the ancient chronicle, 
we return to look after the fortunes of the infant 
Pelayo, when launched upon the waves in the 
darkness of the night. 

The ark containing this future hope of Spain, 
continues the old chronicle, floated down the cur- 
rent of the Golden Tagus, where that renowned 
river winds through the sylvan solitudes of Estre- 
madura. All night, and throughout the succeeding 
day and the following night, it made its tran- 
quil way : the stream ceased its wonted turbu- 
lence and dimpled round it ; the swallow circled 
round it with lively chirp and sportive wing, the 
breezes whispered musically among the reeds, 
which bowed their tall heads as it passed ; such 
was the bland influence of the protection of the 
Virgin. 

Now, so it happened that at this time there 
lived in a remote part of Estremadura an ancient 
cavalier, a hale and hearty bachelor, named the 
Count Grafeses. He had been a warrior in his 
youth, but now, in a green and vigorous old age, 
had retired from camp and court to a domain on 
the banks of the Tagus, inherited from his Gothic 
ancestors. His great delight was in the chase, 
which he followed successfully in the vast forests 



THE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 243 

of Estremadura. Every morning heard the 
woods resounding with the melody of hound and 
horn ; and the heads of stags, of wolves, and wild 
boars vied in his castle hall with the helms and 
bucklers and lances, and the trophies of his youth- 
ful and martial days. 

The jovial count was up at early dawn pursu- 
ing a boar in the thick forest bordering the 
Tagus, when he beheld the little ark floatinsj 
down the stream. He ordered one of his hunts- 
men to strip and enter the river and bring the 
ark to land. On opening it, he was surprised to 
behold within an infant wrapped in costly robes, 
but pale and wan, and apparently almost ex- 
hausted. Beside it was a purse of gold, and on 
its bosom a cross of rubies and a parchment scroll, 
on which was written, " Let this infant be honor- 
ably entertained ; he is of illustrious lineage ; his 
name is Pelayo." 

The good count shrewdly surmised the cause 
of this perilous exposure of a helpless infant. He 
had a heart kind and indulgent toward the 
weaker sex, as the heart of a genial old bachelor 
is prone to be ; and while he looked with infinite 
benevolence upon the beauteous child, felt a glow 
of compassion for the unknown mother. Com- 
manding his huntsman to be silent as to what he 
had witnessed, he took the infant in his arms and 
returned with it to his castle. 

Now, so it happened that the wife of his stew- 
ard had, about a week before, been delivered of a 
child which lived out a very few days, leaving 
the mother in great affliction. The count gave 



244 THE LEGEND OF PELATO. 

her the infant, and the money found with it, and 
told her the story of the ark, with a strong injunc- 
tion of secrecy, entreating her to take charge of 
the child and rear it as her own. Tlie good wo- 
man doubted the story, and strongly suspected 
her master of having fallen into an error in his 
old age ; she received the infant, however, as a 
gift from Heaven, sent to console her in her afflic- 
tion, and pressed it with tears to her bosom, for 
she thought of the child she had lost. 

Pelayo, therefore, was reared on the banks of 
the Tagus as the offspring of the steward and 
his wife, and the adopted son of the count. That 
veteran cavalier bore in mind, however, that his 
youthful charge was of illustrious lineage, and 
took delight in accomplishing him in all things 
befitting a perfect hidalgo. He placed him astride 
of a horse almost as soon as he could walk ; a 
lance and cross-bow were his earliest playthings, 
and he was taught to hunt the small game of the 
forest until strong enough to accompany the count 
in his more rugged sports. Thus he was inured 
to all kinds of hardy exercises, and rendered 
heedless of danger and fatigue. Nor was 
the discipline of his mind neglected. Under the 
instructions of a neighboring friar, he learned to 
read in a manner that surprised the erudition of 
his foster-father ; for he could con more correctly 
all the orisons of the Virgin, and listened to mass, 
and attended all the ceremonies of the Church, 
with a discretion truly exemplary. Some ancient 
chroniclers have gone so far as to say that he even 
excelled in clerkly craft ; but this is most likely a 
fond exaggeration. 



THE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 245 

Time glided by. King Eziea was gathered to 
liis fathers, and his son Witiza reigned in his 
Btead. All the chivalry of the kingdom was sum- 
moned to Toledo to give splendor to his corona- 
tion. The good old count prepared, among the 
rest, to appear at a court from which he had long 
been absent. His ancient servinoc-men were ar- 
rayed in the antiquated garbs in which they had 
figured in his days of youthful gallantry, and his 
household troops in the battered armor which had 
seen hard service in the field, but which had long 
rusted in the armory. He determined to take 
with him his adopted son Pelayo, now seven years 
of age. A surcoat was made for him from the 
mantle of rich brocade in which he had been 
found wrapped in the ark. A palfrey was also 
caparisoned for him in warlike style. It was a 
rare sight, says the old chronicler, to see the anti- 
quated chivalry of the good Count Grafeses parad- 
ing across the bridge of the Tagus, or figuring in 
the streets of Toledo, in contrast to the silken and 
shining retinues of the more modern courtiers ; 
but the veteran was hailed with joy by many of 
the ancient nobles, his early companions in arms. 
The populace, too, when they beheld the youthful 
Pelayo ambling by his side on his gentle palfrey, 
were struck with the chivalrous demeanor of the 
boy, and the perf set manner in which he managed 
his steed. 



CHAPTER IL 



What happened to Pelayo at the Court of Witiza. 




jMONG the nobles, continues the old 
chronicle, who appeared in Toledo to 
do homage to the new king was Favila, 
Duke of Cantabria. He left his wife iu their 
castle among the mountains, — for the fair Lucia 
was still in the meridian of her beauty, and he 
feared lest the sight of her might revive the 
passion of Witiza. They had no other fruit of 
their union but a little daughter of great beauty, 
called Lucinda, and they still mourned in secret 
the loss of their first-born. The duke was re- 
lated to Count Grafeses ; and when he first beheld 
Pelayo bis heart throbbed, he knew not why, and 
he followed him with his eyes in all his youthful 
sports. The more he beheld him the more his 
heart yearned toward him, and he entreated the 
count to grant him the youth for a time as a 
page, to be reared by him in all the offices of 
chivalry, as was the custom in the houses of 
warlike nobles in those days* 

The count willingly complied with his request, 
knowing the great prowess of the Duke of Can- 
tabria, who was accounted a mirror of knightly 
virtue. " For my own part,'' said he, "I am at 
present but little capable of instructing the boy ; 



i 



TEE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 247 

for many years have passed since I gave up the 
exercise of arms, and little am I worth at present 
excepting to blow the horn and follow the hound." 

When the ceremonies of the coronation were 
over, therefore, the Duke, of Cantabria departed 
for his castle, accompanied by the young Pelayo 
and the count, for the good old cavalier could not 
yet tear himself from his adopted child. 

As they drew near the castle, the duchess 
came forth with a grand retinue; for they were 
as petty sovereigns in their domains. The duke 
presented Pelayo to her as her page, and the 
youth knelt to kiss her hand, but she raised him 
and kissed him on the forehead ; and as she re- 
garded him the tears stood in her eyes. 

" God bless thee, gentle page," said she, " and 
preserve thee to the days of manhood ; for thou 
hast in thee the promise of an accomplished cava- 
lier ; joyful must be the heart of the mother who 
can boast of such a son ! " 

On that day, when the dinner was served with 
becoming state, Pelayo took his place among the 
other pages in attendance, who were all children 
of nobles ; but the duchess called him to her as 
h<3r peculiar page. He was arrayed in his sur- 
coat of brocade, made from the mantle in which 
he had been folded in the ark, and round his neck 
hung the cross of rubies. 

As the duchess beheld these things, she turned 
pale and trembled. " What is the name of 
thy son," said she to Count Grafeses. " His 
name," replied the count, " is Pelayo." " Tell . 
oie of a truth," demanded she, still more earn- 



248 THE LEGEND OF PELAYO, 

estly, " is this indeed thy son ? " The count was 
not prepared for so direct a question. " Of a 
truth," said he, " he is but the son of my adop- 
tion ; yet is he of noble lineage." The duchess 
again addressed him with tenfold solemnity. " On 
thy honor as a knight, do not trifle with me ; 
who are the parei:its of this child ? " " The 
count, moved by her agitation, briefly told the 
story of the ark. When the duchess heard it 
she gave a great sigh and fell as one dead. On 
reviving, she embraced Pelayo with mingled tears 
and kisses, and proclaimed him as her long-lost 

BOQ. 



»r 



* 





CHAPTER III. 

How Pelayo lived among the Mountains of Cantabria. — His 
Adventure with the Need}' Hidalgo of Gascony and the 
Rich Merchant of Bordeaux. — Discourse of the Holy 
Hermit. 

HE authentic Agapida passes over many 
pages of the ancient chronicle narrating 
the early life of Pelayo, presenting 
nothing of striking importance. His father, the 
Duke of Cantabria, was dead, and he was care- 
fully reared by his widowed mother at a castle in 
the Pyrenees, out of the reach of the dangers 
and corruptions of the court. Here that hardy 
and chivalrous education was continued which 
had been commenced by his veteran foster-father 
on the banks of the Tagus. The rugged moun- 
tains around abounded with the bear, the wild boar, 
and the wolf, and in hunting these he prepared 
himself for the conflicts of the field. 

The old chronicler records an instance of his 
early prowess in the course of one of his hunting 
expeditions on the immediate borders of France. 
The mountain passes and the adjacent lands were 
much infested and vexed by marauders from Gas- 
cony. The Gascons, says the worthy Agapida, 
were a people ready to lay their hands upon every- 



250 THE LEGEND OF PELATO, 

thing they met. They used smooth words when 
necessary, but force when they dared. Though 
poor, they were proud : there was not one who did 
not plume himself upon being a hijo de algo, or 
son of somebody. Whenever Pelayo, therefore, 
hunted on the borders infested by these, he was 
attended by a page conducting his horse, with his 
buckler and lance, to be at hand in case of need. 

At the head of a band of fourteen of these 
self-styled hidalgos of Gascony was a broken-down 
cavalier by the name of Arnaud. He and four 
of his comrades were well armed and mounted, 
the rest were mere scamper-grounds on foot, 
armed with darts and javelins. This band was 
the terror of the border ; here to-day, gone to- 
morrow ; sometimes in one pass of the moun- 
tains, sometimes in another ; sometimes they 
made descents into Spain, harassing the roads 
and marauding the country, and were over the 
mountains again and into Frajice before a force 
could be sent against them. 

It so happened that while Pelayo with a num- 
ber of his huntsmen was on the border, this Gas- 
con cavalier and his crew were on the maraud. 
They had heard of a rich merchant of Bordeaux 
who was to pass through the mountains on his 
way to one of the ports of Biscay, with which 
several of his vessels traded, and that he would 
carry with him much money for the purchase of 
merchandise. They determined to ease him of 
his money-bags ; for, being hidalgos who lived 
by the sword, they considered all peaceful men of 
trade as lawful spoil, sent by Heaven for the sup- 
ply of men of valor and gentle blood. 



THE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 251 

As they waylaid a lonely defile they beheld 
the merchant approaching. He was a fair and 
portly man, whose looks bespoke the good cheer 
of his native city. He was mounted on a stately 
and well-fed steed ; beside him on palfreys paced 
his wife, a comely dame, and his daughter, a 
damsel of marriageable age, and fair to look upon. 
A young man, his nephew, who acted as his 
clerk, rode with them, and a single domestic fol- 
lowed. 

When the travellers had advanced within the 
defile, the bandeleros rushed from behind a rock 
and set upon them. The nephew fought valiant- 
ly and was slain ; the servant fled ; the mer- 
chant, though little used to the exercise of arms, 
and of unwieldy bulk, made courageous defense, 
having his wife and daughter and his money-bags 
at hazard. He was wounded in two places and 
overpowered. 

The freebooters were disappointed at not find- 
ing the booty they expected, and putting their 
swords to the breast of the merchant, demanded 
where was the money with which he was to traffic 
in Biscay. The trembling merchant informed 
them that a trusty servant was following him at 
no great distance with a stout hackney laden 
with bags of money. Ovei'joyed at this intelli- 
gence, they bound their captives to trees and 
awaited the arrival of the treasure. 

In the mean time Pelayo was on a hill near a 
narrow pass, awaiting a wild boar which his 
huntsmen were to rouse. While thus posted the 
cnerchant's servant, who had escaped, came run- 



252 THE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 

mug in breatliless terror, but fell on his knees be- 
fore Pelayo and craved his life in the most pite- 
ous terms, supposing him another of the robbers. 
It was some time before he could be persuaded of 
his mistake and made to tell the story of the 
robbery. When Pelayo heard the tale, he per- 
ceived that the robbers in question must be the 
Gascon hidalgos upon the scamper. Taking his 
armor from the page, he put on his helmet, slung 
his buckler round his neck, took lance in hand, 
and mounting his horse, compelled the trembling 
servant to guide him to the scene of the robbery. 
At the same time he dispatched his page to sum- 
mon as many of his huntsmen as possible to his 
assistance. 

When the robbers saw Pelayo advancing 
through the forest, the sun sparkling upon his 
rich armor, a^id saw that he was attended but by 
a single page, they considered him a new prize, 
and Arnaud and two of his companions mounting 
their horses ad^^anced to meet him. Pelayo put 
himself in a narrow pass between two rocks, 
wherf^ he coutd only be attacked in front, and, 
bracing his buckler and lowering his lance, await- 
ed their coming. 

'" Who and what are ye," cried he, " and what 
seek ye in this land ? " 

^' We are huntsmen," cried Arnaud, " in quest 
of game ; and lo ! it runs into our toils." 

^' By my faith," said Pelayo, '^ thou wilt find 
the game easier roused than taken ; have at thee 
for a villain." 

So saying, he put spurs to his horse and 



THE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 253 

charged upon him. Arnaud was totally unpre- 
pared for so sudden an assault, having scarce an- 
ticipated a defense. He hastily couched his 
lance, but it merely glanced on the shield of 
Pelayo, who sent his own through the middle of 
his breast, and threw him out of his saddle to the 
earth. One of the other robbers made at Pelayo 
and wounded him slightly in the side, but re- 
ceived a blow on the head which cleft his skull- 
cap and sank into his brain. His companion, 
seeing him fall, galloped off through the forest. 

By this time three or four of the robbers on 
foot had come up, and assailed Pelayo. He re- 
ceived two of their darts on his buckler, a javelin 
razed his cuirass, and his horse received two 
wounds. Pelayo then rushed upon them and 
struck one dead ; the others, seeing several hunts- 
men advancing, took to flight ; two were overtaken 
and made prisoners, the rest escaped by clamber- 
ing among rocks and precipices. 

The good merchant of Bordeaux and his family 
beheld this scene with trembling and amazement. 
They almost looked upon Pelayo as something 
more than mortal, for they had never witnessed 
such feats of arms. Still they considered him as 
a leader of some rival band of robbers, and when 
he came up and had the bands loosened by which 
they were fastened to the trees, they fell at his 
feet and implored for mercy. It was with diffi- 
culty he could pacify their fears ; the females 
were soonest reassured, especially the daughter, 
for the young maid was struck with the gentle 
iemeanor aiid noble countenance of Pelayo, and 



254 THE LEGEND OF PELA YO. 

said to herself, Surely nothing wicked can dwell 
in so heavenly a form. 

Pelayo now ordered that the wounds of the 
merchant should be dressed, and his own exam- 
ined. When his cuirass was taken off, his wound 
was found to be but slight ; but his men were so 
exasperated at seeing his blood, that they would 
have put the two captive Gascons to death had 
he not forbade them. He now sounded his hunt- 
ing horn, which echoed from rock to rock, and 
was answered by shouts and horns from various 
parts of the mountains. The merchant's heart 
misgave him ; he again thought he was among 
robbers ; nor were his fears allayed when he be- 
held in a little while more than forty men assem- 
bling together from various parts of the forest, 
clad in hunting-dresses, with boar-spears, darts, 
and hunting-swords, and each leading a hound by 
a long cord. All this was a new and a wild 
world to the astonished merchant, nor was his un- 
easmess abated when he beheld his servant arrive 
leading the hackney laden with money. Certain- 
ly, said he to himself, this will be too tgrnpting a 
spoil for these wild men of the mountains. 

The huntsmen brought with them a boar, 
wnich they had killed, and being hungry from 
the chase, they lighted a fire at the foot of a tree, 
and each cutting such portion of the boar as he 
liked best, roasted it at the fire, and ate it with 
bread taken from his wallet. The merchant, his 
wife, and daughter looked at all this and won- 
dered, for they had never beheld so savage a re- 
oast. Pelayo then inquired of them if they did 



TEE LEGEND OF^ PEL A YO, 255 

not desire to eat. They were too ranch in awe of 
him to decline, though they felt a loathing at the idea 
of this hunter's fare. Linen cloths were therefore 
spread under the shade of a great oak, to screen 
them from the sun ; and when they had seated 
themselves round it, they were served, to their 
astonishment, not with the flesh of the boar, but 
with dainty viands, such as the merchant had 
scarcely hoped to find out of the walls of his 
native city of Bordeaux. 

While they were eating, the young damsel, the 
daughter of the merchant, could not keep her eyes 
from Pelayo. Gratitude for his protection, ad- 
miration of his valor, had filled her heart ; and 
when she regarded his noble countenance, now 
that he had laid aside his helmet, she thought she 
beheld something divine. The heart of the tender 
Donzella, says the old historian, was kind and 
yielding; and had Pelayo thought fit to ask the 
greatest boon that love and beauty could bestow, — 
doubtless meaning her own fair hand, — she would 
not have had the cruelty to say him nay. Pelayo, 
however, had no such thought. The love of 
woman had never yet entered in his heart : and 
though he regarded the damsel as the fairest 
maiden he had ever beheld, her beauty caused no 
perturbation in his breast. 

When the repast was over, Pelayo offered to 
conduct the merchant and his family through the 
passes of the mountains, which were yet danger- 
ous from the scattered band of Gascons. The 
bodies of the slain marauders were buried, and 
the corpse of the nephew of the merchant was 



256 THE LEGEND OF PELATO. 

laid upon one of the horses captured In the battle. 
They then formed their cavalcade and pursued 
their way slowly up one of the steep and winding 
defiles of the Pyrenees. 

Towards sunset they arrived at the dwelling 
of a holy hermit. It was hewn out of the solid 
rock, a cross was over the door, and before it was 
a spreading oak, with a sweet spring of water at 
its foot. Here the body of the merchant's nephew 
was buried, close by the wall of this sacred re- 
treat, and the hermit performed a mass for the 
repose of his soul. Pelayo then obtained leave 
from the holy father that the merchant's wife and 
daughter should pass the night within his cell ; 
and the hermit made beds of moss for them and 
gave them his benediction ; but the damsel found 
little rest, so much were her thoughts occupied by 
the youthful cavalier who had delivered her from 
death or dishonor. 

When all were buried in repose, the hermit 
came to Pelayo, who was sleeping by the spring 
under the tree, and he awoke him and said, " Ai'ise 
my son, and listen to my words." Pelayo arose 
and seated himself on a rock, and the holy man 
stood before him, and the beams of the moon fell 
on his silver hair and beard, and he said: "This 
is no time to be sleeping ; for know that thou art 
chosen for a great work. Behold the ruin of 
Spain is at hand, destruction shall come over it 
like a cloud, and there shall be no safeguard. 
For it is the will of Heaven that evil shall for a 
time have sway, and whoever withstands it shall 
be destroyed. But tarry thou not to see these 



THE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 257 

things, for thou canst not relieve them. Depart 
Du a pilgrimage, and visit the sepulchre of our 
blessed Lord in Palestine, and purify thyself by 
prayer, and enrol thyself in the order of chivalry, 
and prepare for the work of the redemption of 
thy country. When thou shalt return, thou wilt 
find thyself a stranger in the land. Thy residence 
will be in wild dens and caves of the earth, which 
thy young foot has never trodden. Thou wilt 
find thy countrymen harboring with the beasts 
of the forest and the eagles of the mountains. 
The land which thou leavest smiling with corn- 
fields, and covered with vines and olives, thou 
wilt find overrun with weeds and thorns and 
brambles ; and wolves will roara where there have 
been peaceful flocks and herds. But thou wilt 
weed out the tares, and destroy the wolves, and 
raise again the head of thy suffering country." 

Much further discourse had Pelayo with this 
holy man, who revealed to him many of the fear- 
ful events that were to happen, and counseled 
him the way in which he was to act. 

When the morning sun shone upon the moun- 
tains, the party assembled round the door of the 
hermitage, and made a repast by the fountain 
under the tree. Then, having receiv'ed the bene- 
diction of the hermit, they departed, and travelled 
through the forests and defiles of the mountain, in 
the freshness of the day ; and when the merchant 
beheld his wife and daughter thus secure by his 
side, and the hackney laden with his treasure fol- 
lowing close behind him, his heart was light in his 
bosom, and he carolled as he went. But Pelayo 
17 



k 



258 THE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 

rode in silence, for his mind was deeply moved by 
the revelations and the counsel of the hermit ; and 
the daughter of the merchant ever and anon re- 
garded him with eyes of tenderness and admiration, 
and deep sighs spoke the agitation of her bosom. 

At length they came to where the forests and 
the rocks terminated, and a secure road lay before 
them ; and here Pelayo paused to take his leave, 
appointing a number of his followers to attend 
and guard them to the nearest town. 

When they came to part, the merchant and his 
wife were loud in their thanks and benedictions ; 
but for some time the daughter spake never a 
word. At length she raised her eyes, which were 
filled with tears, and looked wistfully at Pelayo, 
and her bosom throbbed, and after a struggle be- 
tween strong affection and virgin modesty her 
heart relieved itself by words. 

" Senor," said she, " I know that I am humble 
and unworthy of the notice of so noble a cavalier, 
but suffer me to place this ring on a finger of your 
right hand, with which you have so bravely 
rescued us from death ; and when you regard it, 
you shall consider it as a memorial of your own 
valor, and not of one who is too humble to be 
remembered by you." With these words she 
drew a ring from off her finger and put it upon 
the finger of Pelayo ; and having done this, she 
blushed and trembled at her own boldness, and 
stood as one abashed, with her eyes cast down 
upon the earth. 

Pelayo was moved at her words, and at the 
touch of her fair hand, and at her beauty as she 



THE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 259 

stood thus troubled and in tears before him ; but 
as yet he knew nothing of woman, and his heart 
was free from the snares of love. " Amiga" 
(friend), said he, " I accept thy present, and will 
wear it in remembrance of thy goodness.'' The 
damsel was cheered by these words, for she hoped 
she had awakened some tenderness in his bosom ; 
but it was no such thing, says the ancient chroni- 
cler, for his heart was ignorant of love, and was 
devoted to higher and more sacred matters ; yet 
certain it is, that he always guarded well that 
ring. 

They parted, and Pelayo and his huntsmen re- 
mained for some time on a cliff on the verge of 
the forest, watching that no evil befell them about 
the skirts of the mountain ; and the damsel often 
turned her head to look at him, until she could 
no longer see him for the distance and the tears 
that dimmed her eyes. 

And, for that he had accepted her ring, she 
considered herself wedded to him in her heart, 
and never married ; nor could be brouofht to look 
with eyes of affection upon any other man, but 
for the true love which she bore Pelayo she 
lived and died a virgin. And she composed a 
book, continues the old chronicler, which treated 
of love and chivalry, and the temptations of this 
mortal life, — and one part discoursed of celestial 
things, — and it was called the *' Contemplations 
of Love ; " because at the time she wrote it she 
thought of Pelayo, and of his having received 
her jewel, and called her by the gentle name of 
''Amiga;" and o^ten thinking of him, and of 



260 



THE LEGEND OF PELAYO, 



her never hiy^ing beheld him more, in tender 
sadness she would take the book which she had 
written, and would read it for him, and, while 
she repeated the words of love which it con- 
tained, she would fancy them uttered by Pelayo, 
and that he stood before her.^ 

1 El More Rasis, Destruydon de Espana^ pt. 2, c. 101. 





CHAPTER IV- 

Pilgrimage of Pelayo, and what befell him on his Eetum to 

Spain. 

ELAYO, according to the old chronicle 
before quoted, returned to his home 
deeply impressed with the revelations 
made to him by the saintly hermit, and prepared 
to set forth upon the pilgrimage to the Holy 
Sepulchre. Some historians have alleged that he 
was quickened to this pious expedition by fears 
of violence from the wicked King Witiza ; but at 
this time Witiza was in his grave, and Roderick 
swayed the Gothic sceptre ; the sage Agapida is 
therefore inclined to attribute the pilgrimage to 
the mysterious revelation already mentioned. 

Havinor arrano^ed the concerns of his house- 
hold, chosen the best suit of armor from his 
armory, and the best horse from his stable, and 
supplied himself with jewels and store of gold 
for his expenses, he took leave of his mother and 
his sister Lucinda, as if departing upon a distant 
journey in Spain, and, attended only by his 
page, set out upon his holy wayfaring. De- 
scending from the rugged Pyrenees, he journeyed 
through the fair plains of France to Marseilles, 
where, laying by his armor, and leaving his 
horses in safe keeping, he put on a pilgrim's 



262 THE LEGEND OF PELATO. 

garb, with staff and scrip and cockle-shell, and 
embarked on board of a galley bound for Sicily. 
From Messina he voyaged in a small bark to 
Rhodes ; thence in a galliot, with a number of 
other pilgrims, to the Holy Land. Having 
passed a year of pious devotion at the Holy 
Sepulchre, and visited all the places rendered 
sacred by the footsteps of our Lord, and of his 
mother the ever-blessed Virgin, and having re- 
ceived the order of knighthood, he turned his 
steps toward his native land. 

The discreet Agapida here pauses and forbears 
to follow the ancient chronicler further in his 
narration, for an interval of obscurity now occurs 
in the fortunes of Pelayo. Some who have en- 
deavored to ascertain and connect the links of 
his romantic and eventful story, have represented 
him as returning from his pilgrimage in time to 
share in the last struggle of his country, and as 
signalizing himself in the fatal battle on the 
banks of the Guadalete. Others declare that by 
the time he arrived in Spain the perdition of the 
country w;as complete ; that infidel chieftains 
bore sway in the palaces of his ancestors ; that 
his paternal castle was a ruin, his mother in her 
grave, and his sister Lucinda carried away into 
captivity. 

Stepping lightly over this disputed ground, the 
cautious Agapida resumes the course of the story 
where Pelayo discovers the residence of his sister 
in the city of Gijon, on the Atlantic coast, at the 
foot of the Asturian Mountains. It was a for- 
midable fortress, chosen by Taric as a military 



TEE LEGEND OF PELAYO, 263 

post, to control the seaboard, and hold in check 
the Christian patriots who had taken refuge in 
the neighboring mountains. The commander of 
this redoubtable fortress was a renegado chief, 
who has been variously named by historians, and 
who held the sister of Pelayo a captive ; though 
others affirm that she had submitted to become 
his wife, to avoid a more degrading fate. Ac- 
cording to the old chronicle already cited, Pelayo 
succeeded by artifice in extricating her from his 
hands, and bearing her away to the mountains. 
They were hotly pursued, but Pelayo struck up 
a steep and rugged defile, where scarcely two 
persons could pass abreast, and partly by his 
knowledge of the defiles, partly by hurling down 
great masses of rock to check his pursuers, 
effected the escape of his sister and himself to a 
secure part of the mountains. Here they found 
themselves in a small green meadow, blocked up 
by a perpendicular precipice, whence fell a 
stream of water with great noise into a natural 
basin or pool, the source of the river Deva. 
Here was the hermitage of one of those holy 
men who had accompanied the Archbishop Ur- 
bano in his flight from Toledo, and had estab- 
lished a sanctuary among these mountains. He 
received the illustrious fugitives with joy, espe- 
cially when he knew their rank and story, and 
conducted them to his retreat. A kind of ladder 
led up to an aperture in the face of the rock, 
about two pike lengths from the ground. Within 
was a lofty cavern capable of containing many 
people, with an inner cavern of still greater 



264 THE LEGEND OF PELA70. 

magnitude. The outer cavern served as a chapel, 
having an altar, a crucifix, and an image of the 
blessed Mary. 

This wild retreat had never been molested ; 
not a Moslem turban had been seen within tho 
little valley. The cavern was well known to the 
Gothic inhabitants of the mountains and the ad- 
jacent valleys. They called it the cave of 
Santa Maria ; but it is more commonly known to 
fame by the name of Covadonga. It had many 
times been a secure place of refuge to suffering 
Christians, being unknown to their foes, and 
capable of being made a natural citadel. The 
entrance was so far from the ground that, w4ien 
the ladder was removed, a handful of men could 
defend it from all assault. The small meadow in 
front afforded pasturage and space for gardens ; 
and the stream that fell from the rock was from 
a never-failing spring. The valley was high in 
the mountains ; so high that the crow seldom 
winged its flight across it, and the passes leading 
to it were so steep and dangerous that single 
men might set whole armies at defiance. 

Such was one of the wild fastnesses of the 
Asturias, which formed the forlorn hope of un- 
happy Spain. The anchorite, too, was one of 
those religious men permitted by the conquerors, 
from their apparently peaceful and inoffensive 
lives, to inhabit lonely chapels and hermitages, 
but whose cells formed places of secret resort 
and council for the patriots of Spain, and who 
kept up an intercourse and understanding among 
the scattered remnants of the nation. The holy 



THE LEGEND OF PELATO. 265 

man knew all the Christians of the Astnrias, 
whether living in the almost inaccessible caves 
and dens of the cliiFs, or in the narrow valleys 
imbedded among the mountains. He represented 
them to Pelayo as brave and hardy, and ready 
for any desperate enterprise that might promise 
deliverance ; but they were disheartened by the 
continued subjection of their country, and on the 
point, many of them, of descending into the 
plains and submitting, like the rest of their coun- 
trymen, to the yoke of the conquerors. 

When Pelayo considered all these things, he 
was persuaded the time was come for effecting 
the great purpose of his soul. " Father," said 
he, " I will no longer play the fugitive, nor en- 
dure the disgrace of my country and my line. 
Here in this wilderness will I rear once more 
the royal standard of the Goths, and attempt, 
with the blessing of God, to shake off the yoke 
of the invader." 

The hermit hailed his words with transport, as 
prognostics of the deliverance of Spain. Taking 
staff in hand, he repaired to the nearest valley 
inhabited by Christian fugitives. " Hasten in 
every direction," said he, " and proclaim far and 
wide among the mountains that Pelayo, a de- 
scendant of the Gothic kings, has unfurled his 
banner at Covadonga as a rallying-point for his 
countrymen." 

The glad tidings ran like wildfire throughout 
all the regions of the Asturias. Old and young 
started up at the sound, and seized whatever 
weapons were at hand. From mountain cleft 



266 THE LEGEND OF PELAYO, 

and secret glen issued forth stark and stalwart 
warriors, grim with hardship, and armed with 
old Gothic weapons that had rusted in caves 
since the battle of the Guadalete. Others turned 
their rustic implements into spears and battle- 
axes, and hastened to join the standard of Pe- 
layo. Every day beheld numbers of patriot 
warriors arriving in the narrow valley, or rather 
glen, of Covadonga, clad in all the various garbs 
of ancient Spain, — for here were fugitives from 
every province, who had preferred liberty among 
the sterile rocks of the mountains to ease and 
slavery in the plains. In a little while Pelayo 
found himself at the head of a formidable force, 
hardened by toil and suffering, fired with old 
Spanish pride, and rendered desperate by despair. 
With these be maintained a warlike sway among 
the mountains. Did any infidel troops attempt 
to penetrate to their stronghold, the signal fires 
blazed from height to height, the steep passes and 
defiles bristled with armed men, and rocks were 
hurled upon the heads of the intruders. 

By degrees the forces of Pelayo increased so 
much in number, and in courage of heart, that 
he sallied forth ocpasionally from the mountains, 
swept the sea-coast, assailed the Moors in their 
towns and villages, put many of them to the 
sword, and returned laden with spoil to the 
mountains. 

His name now became the terror of the infi- 
dels, and the hope and consolation of the Chris- 
tians. The heart of old Gothic Spain was once 
more lifted up, and hailed his standard as the 



THE LEGEND OF PE1.AYO. 267 

harbinger of happier days. Her scattered sons 
felt again as a people, and the spirit of empire 
arose once more among them. Gathering to- 
gether from all parts of the Astiirias in the Val- 
ley of Cangas, they resolved to elect their cham- 
pion their sovereign. Placing the feet of Pelayo 
npon a shield, several of the starkest warriors 
raised him aloft, according to ancient Gothic 
ceremonial, and presented him as king. The 
multitude rent the air with their transports, and 
the mountain cliffs, which so long had echoed 
nothing but lamentations, now resounded with 
shouts of joy.^ Thus terminated the interreg- 
num of Christian Spain, which had lasted since 
the overthrow of King Roderick and his host on 
the banks of the Guadalete, and the new king 
continued with augmented zeal his victorious ex- 
peditions against the infidels. 

1 Morales, Cronicon de Espana^ L. 13, c. 2. 



y^^ 



CHAPTER y. 



The Battle of Covadonga. 




IIDINGS soon spread througboiit Spain 
that the Christians of the Asturias were 
in arms and had proclaimed a king 
among the mountains. The veteran chief, Taric 
el Tuerto, was alarmed for the safety of the sea- 
board, and dreaded lest this insurrection should 
extend into the plains. He despatched, therefore, 
in all haste, a powerful force from Cordova, under 
the command of Ibrahim Alcamar, one of his 
most experienced captains, with orders to pene- 
trate the mountains and crush this dangerous re- 
bellion. The perfidious Bishop Oppas, who had 
promoted the perdition of Spain, was sent with 
this host, in the hope that through his artful elo- 
quence Pelajo might be induced to lay down his 
arms and his newly assumed sceptre. 

The army made rapid marches, and in a few 
days arrived among the narrow valleys of the 
Asturias. The Christians had received notice of 
their approach, and fled to their fastnesses. The 
Moors found the valleys silent and d^eserted ; there 
were traces of men, but not a man was to be seen. 
They passed through the most wild and dreary 
defiles, ^mong impending rocks" — here and there 



THE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 26^ 

varied by small green strips of mountain meadow, 
— and directed their march for the lofty valley, 
or rather glen, of Covadonga, whi.her they learnt 
from their scouts that Pelayo had retired. 

The newly elected king, when he heard of the 
approach of this mighty force, sent his sister, and 
all the women and chihlren, to a distant and secret 
part of the mountain. He then chose a thousand 
of his best armed and most powerful men, and 
placed them within the cave. The lighter armed 
and less vigorous he ordered to climb to the sum- 
mit of the impending rocks, and conceal themselves 
among the thickets with which they were crowned. 
This done, he entered the cavern and caused the 
ladder leading to it to be drawn up. 

In a little while the bray of distant trumpets, 
and the din of atabals resounded up the glen, and 
soon the whole gorge of the mountain glistened 
with armed men ; squadron after squadron of 
swarthy Arabs spurred into the valley, which 
was soon whitened by their tents. The veteran 
Ibrahim Alcamar, trusting that he had struck dis- 
may into the Christians by this powerful display, 
sent the crafty Bishop Oppas to parley with Pe- 
layo, and persuade him to surrender. 

The bishop advanced on his steed until within 
a short distance of the cave, and Pelayo appeared 
at its entrance with lance in hand. The silver- 
tongued prelate urged him to submit to the 
Moslem power, assuring him that he would be 
rewarded with great honors and estates. He rep- 
resented the mildness of the conquerors to all who 
submitted to their sway, and the hopelessness of 



27C TUE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 

resistance. " E-emember," said he, " how mighty 
was the povver of the Goths, who vanquished both 
Romans and Barbarians, yet how completely was 
it broken down and annihilated by these people. 
If the whole nation in arms could not stand be- 
fore them, what canst thou do with thy wretched 
cavern and thy handful of mountaineers ? Be 
counseled then, Pelayo ; give up this desperate 
attempt ; accept the liberal terms offered thee ; 
abandon these sterile mountains, and return to 
the plains to live in wealth and honor under the 
magnanimous rule of Taric." 

Pelayo listened to the hoary traitor with mingled 
impatience and disdain. " Perdition has come 
upon Spain," replied he, " through the degeneracy 
of her sons, the sins of her rulers, — like the 
wicked King Witiza thy brother, — and the treach- 
ery of base men like thee. But when punishment 
is at an end, mercy and forgiveness succeed. 
The Goths have reached the lowest extreme of mis- 
ery ; it is tor me to aid their fortune in the turn, 
and soon I trust will it arise to its former gran- 
deur. As to thee, Don Oppas, thou shalt stand 
abhorred among men, false to thy country, trai- 
torous to thy king, a renegado Christian, and an 
apostate priest." 

So saying he turned his back upon the bishop 
and retired into his cave. 

Oppas returned pale with shame and malice to 
Alcamar. " These people," said he, " are stiff- 
necked in their rebellion ; their punishment should 
be according to their obstinacy, and should serve as 
a terror to evil doers ; not one of them should be 
permitted to survive." 



k 



THE LEGEND OF PELATO. 271 

Upon this Alcamar ordered a grand assault 
upon the cavern ; and the sliiigers and the cross- 
bow men advanced in great force, and with a din 
of atabals and trumpets that threatened to rend 
the very rocks They discharged showers of 
stones and arrow^s at the mouth of the cavern, but 
their missiles rebounded from the face of the rock, 
and many of them fell upon their own heads. 
This is recorded as a miracle by pious chroniclers 
of yore, who affirm that the stones and arrows 
absolutely turned in the air and killed those who 
had discharged them. 

When Alcamar and Oppas saw that the attack 
was ineffectual, they brought up fresh forces and 
made preparations to scale the mouth of the cav- 
ern. At this moment, says the old chronicle, a 
banner was put in the hand of Pelayo, bearing a 
white cross on a blood-red field, and inscribed on 
it in Chaldean characters was the name of Jesus. 
And a voice spake unto him and said, '' Arouse 
thy strength ; go forth in the name of Jesus 
Christ, and thou shalt conquer." Who gave the 
banner and uttered the words has never been 
known ; the whole, therefore, stands recorded as 
a miracle. 

Then Pelayo elevated the banner. '' Behold," 
said he, " a sign from Heaven, — a sacred cross 
sent to lead us on to victory." 

Upon this the people gave a great shout of joy; 
and when the Saracens heard that shout within 
the entrails of the mountain their hearts quaked, 
for it was like the roar of a volcano giving token 
of an eruption. 



272 THE LEGEND OF PELAYO, 

Before they could recover from their astonish- 
ment, the Christians issued in a torrent from the 
cave, all fired with rage and holy confidence. 
By their impetuous assault they bore back the 
first rank of their adversaries and forced it upon 
those behind, and as there was no space in that 
uarrow valley to display a front of war, or for 
many to fight at a time, the numbers of the foe 
but caused their confusion. The horse, trampled 
on the foot, and the late formidable host became 
a mere struggling and distracted multitude. In 
the front was carnage and confusion, in the rear 
terror and fright ; wherever the sacred standard 
was borne, the infidels appeared to fall before it, 
as if smitten by some invisible hand rather than 
by the Christian band. 

Early in the ^^\i Pelayo encountered Ibrahim 
Alcamar. They fought hand to hand on the 
border of the pool from which springs the river 
Deva, and the Saracen was slain upon the margin 
of that pool, and his blood mingled with its wa- 
ters. 

When the Bishop Oppas beheld this he would 
have fled, but the valley was closed up by the 
mass of combatants, and Pelayo overtook him 
and defied him to the fight. But tlie bishop, 
though armed, was as craven as he was false, and 
yielding up his weapons implored for mercy. So 
Pelayo spared his life, but sent him bound to the 
cavern. 

The whole Moorish host now took to headlong 
flight. Some attempted to clamber to the sum- 
mit of the mountains, but they were assailed by 



THE LEGEND OF PELAYO. 273 

the troops stationed there by Pelayo, who show- 
ered down darts and arrows and great masses of 
rock, making fearful havoc. 

The great body of the army fled by the road lead- 
ing along the ledge or shelf overhanging the deep 
ravine of the Deva ; but as they crowded in one 
dense multitude upon the projecting precipice, the 
whole mass suddenly gave way, and horse and 
horseman, tree and rock, were precipitated in one 
tremendous ruin into the raging river. Thus per- 
ished a great part of the fiying army. The vener- 
able Bishop Sebastiano, who records this event 
with becomino^ awe, as another miracle wroucjht 
in favor of the Christians, assures us that, in his 
time, many years afterwards, when during the 
winter season the Deva would swell and rage and 
tear away its banks, spears and scimetars and 
corselets, and the mingled bones of men and 
steeds, would be. uncovered, being the wrecks and 
relics of the Moslem host, thus raarvelously de- 
stroyed.^ 

1 Judicio Domini actum est, ut ipsius montis pars se a fun- 
damentis evolvens, sexaginta tria millia caldeorum stupenter 
in fulinina projecit, atque eos omnes opressit. Ubi usque 
nunc ipse fluvius duni tempore hyemali alv^eum suum im- 
plet, ripasque dissoluit, sigua annorum et ossa eorum eviden- 
tissime ostendit. — Sebastianics Sabnanticensis Ejnsc. 

Note. — To satisfy all doubts with respect to the miracu- 
lous banner of Pelayo, that precious relic is still preserved in 
the sacred chamber of the church of Oviedo,richh' ornamented 
with gold and precious stones. It was removed to that place 
by order of Alonzo the Third, from the church of Santa Cruz, 
near Cangas, which was erected by Favila, the son and succes- 
sor of Pelavo, in memorv of this victory. 
18 



CHAPTER YL 

Pelayo becomes King of Leon. — His Death. 




pHEN Pelayo beheld his enemies thus 
scattered and destroyed, he saw that 
Heaven was on his side, and proceeded 
to follow up his victory. Rearing the sacred 
banner, he descended through the valleys of the 
Asturias, his army augmenting, like a mountain 
torrent, as it rolled along ; for the Christians 
saw in the victory of Covadonga a miraculous 
interposition of Providence in behalf of ruined 
Spain, and hastened from all parts to join the 
standard of the deliverer. 

Emboldened by numbers, and by the enthusi- 
asm of his troops, Pelayo directed his march to- 
wards the fortress of Gijon. The renegado Ma- 
gued, however, did not await his coming. His 
heart failea him on hearing of the defeat and 
death of Alcamar, the destruction of the Moslem 
army, and the augmenting force of the Chris- 
tians ; and, abandoning his post, he marched to- 
wards Leon with the greatest part of his troops. 
Pelayo received intelligence of his movements, 
and advancing rapidly through the mountains, en- 
countered him in the Valley of Ollalas. A bloody 
battle ensued on the banks of the river which 
flows through that valley. The sacred banner 



THE LEGEND OF PELA 70. 275 

was again victorious ; Magued was slain by the 
hand of Pelayo, and so great was the slaughter 
of his host, that for two days the river ran red 
with the blood of the Saracens. 

From hence, Pelayo proceeded rapidly to Gi- 
jon, which he easily carried by assault. The 
capture of this important fortress gave him the 
command of the seaboard, and of the skirts of 
the mountains. While reposing himself after his 
victories, the Bishop Oppas was brought in chains 
before him, and the Christian troops called loudly 
for the death of that traitor and apostate. But 
Pelayo recollected that he had been a sacred dig- 
nitary of the Church, and regarded him as a 
scourge in the hand of Heaven for the punish- 
ment of Spain. He would not, therefore, suffer 
violent hands to be laid upon him, but contented 
himself with placing him where he could no 
longer work mischief. He accordingly ordered 
him to be contined in one of the towers of Gijon, 
with iiothins: but bread and water for his subsist- 
ence. There he remained a prey to the work- 
ings of his conscience, which filled his prison 
with horrid spectres of those who had perished 
through his crimes. He heard wailings and exe- 
crations in the «ea-breeze that howled round the 
tower, and in the roaring of the waves that beat 
against its foundations; and in a little time he 
was found dead in his dungeon, hideously dis- 
torted, as if he had died in agony and terror.^ 

The sacred oanner that had been elevated at 
Covadonga never sank nor receded, but continued 
1 La Destruycion de Espana, part 3. 



276 THE LEGEND OF PELAYO, 

to be the beacon of deliverance to Spain. Pe- 
layo went on from conquest to conquest, increas- 
ing and confirming his royal power. Having 
captured the city of Leon, he made it the capital 
of his kingdom, and took there the title of the 
King of Leon. He moreover adopted the device 
of the city for his arms — a blood -red lion ram- 
pant, in a silver field. This long continued to be 
the arms of Spain, until in after times the lion 
was quartered with the castle, the device of Bur- 
gos, capital of Old Castile. 

We forbear to follow this patriot prince 
through the rest of his glorious career. Suflfice 
it to say that he reigned long and prosperously ; 
extending on all sides the triumphs of his arms ; 
establishing on solid foundations the reviving em- 
pire of Christian Spain ; and that, after a life of 
constant warfare, he died in peace in the city of 
Cangas, and lies buried with his queen, Gaudiosa, 
in the church of Santa Eulalia, near to that city. 

Here ends the legend of Pelayo. 






ABDERAHMAN ; 



THE 



FOUNDER OF THE DYNASTY OF THE i/*MMUDES 
IN SPAIN. 



[The Memoir of Abderal: man, the founder of the dynasty 
of the Ommiades in Spain, was published in the " Knicker- 
bocker Magazine" in 1840. In introducing it to that period- 
ical, the author, after stating that he had conformed to the 
facts furnished by the Arabian chronicles, as cited by Cond6, 
remarks: " The story of Abderahman has almost the charm 
of romance; but it derives a higher interest from the heroic, 
yet gentle virtues which it illustrates, and from recording the 
fortunes of the founder of that splendid dynasty which shed 
such a lustre upon Spain during the domination of the Arabs." 
The accomplished Ford says of the history of Abderahman : 
*' No jSction of romance ever surpassed the truth of his event- 
ful life." 

The present Memoir is not an exact reprint of the article in 
the '' Knickerbocker,-' but is given as altered from that, in 
1847, when the author was thinking of preparing for the press 
the *' Chronicle of the Ommiades," embracing the whole line 
which he had "roughly sketched out at Madrid in 1827, just 
after he had finished Columbus." — Ed.] 



ABDEEAHMAN, 



CHAPTER I. 

Of the Youthful Fortunes of Abderahman. 

j^lLESSED be God ! " exclaims an Ara- 
^ bian historian ; " in his hands alone is 
s3l the destiny of princes. He overthrows 
the mighty, and humbles the haughty to the 
dust ; and he raises up the persecuted and af- 
flicted from the very depths of despair ! " 

The illustrious house of Omeya, one of the 
two lines descended from Mahomet, had swayed 
the sceptre at Damascus for nearly a century, 
when a rebellion broke out, headed by Abu al 
Abbas Safah, who aspired to the throne of the 
caliphs, as being descended from Abbas, the uncle 
of the prophet. The rebellion was successful. 
Meruan, the last caliph of the house of Omeya, 
was defeated and slain. A general proscription 
of the Ommiades took place. Many of them fell 
in battle ; many were treacherously slain in 
places where they had taken refuge ; above seventy, 
most noble and distinguished, were murdered at 
a banquet to which they had been invited, and 
their dead bodies, covered with cloths, were made 



280 ABDERAHMAN, 

to serve as tables for the horrible festivity 
Others were driven forth, forlorn and desolate 
wanderers in various parts of the earth, and pur- 
sued with relentless hatred ; for it was the deter- 
mination of the usurper that not one of the per- 
secuted family should escape. Abu al Abbas 
took possession of three stately palaces, and deli- 
cious gardens, and founded the powerful dynasty 
of the Abbassides, which, for several centuries, 
maintained dominion in the East. 

*' Blessed be God I " again exclaims the Ara- 
bian historian ; " it was written in his eternal 
decrees that, notwithstanding the fury of the 
Abbassides, the noble stock of Omeya should not 
be destroyed. One fruitful branch remained to 
flourish with glory and greatness in another land." 

When the sanguinary proscription of the Om- 
miades took place, two young princes of that line, 
brothers, by the names of Solyman and Abde- 
rahman, were spared for a time. Their personal 
graces, noble demeanor, and winning affability, 
had made them many friends, while their extreme 
youth rendered them objects of but little dread 
to the usurper. Their safety, however, was but 
transient. In a little while the suspicions of Abu 
al Abbas were aroused. The unfortunate Soly- 
man fell beneath the scimetar of the executioner. 
His brother Abderahman was warned of his 
dano-er in time. Several of his friends hastened 
to him, bringing him jewels, a disguise, and a 
fleet horse. " The emissaries of the caliph," said 
they, " are in search of thee ; thy brother lies 
weltering in his blood ; fly to the desert! There 
^s no safety for thee in the habitations of man ! " 



ABDERAHMAN, 281 

Abderahman took the jewels, dad himself in 
the disguise, and mounting the steed, fled for his 
life. As he passed, a lonely fugitive, by the 
palaces of his ancestors, in which his family had 
long held sway, their very walls seemed disposed 
to betray him, as they echoed the swift clattering 
of his steed. 

Abandoning his native country, Syria, where 
be was liable at each moment to be recognized 
and taken, he took refuge among the Bedouin 
Arabs, a half-savage race of shepherds. His 
youth, his inborn majesty and grace, and the 
sweetness and affability that shone forth in his 
azure eyes, won the hearts of these wandering 
men. He was but twenty years of age, and had 
been reared in the soft luxury of a palace ; but 
he was tall and vigorous, and in a little while 
hardened himself so completely to the rustic life 
of the fields, that it seemed as though he had 
passed all his days in the rude simplicity of a 
shepherd's cabin. 

His enemies, however, were upon his traces, 
and gave him but little rest. By day he scoured 
the plains with the Bedouins, hearing in every 
blast the sound of pursuit, and fancying in every 
distant cloud of dust a troop of the caliph's horse- 
men. His night was passed in broken sleep and 
frequent watchings, and at the earliest dawn he 
was the first to put the bridle to his steed. 

Wearied by these perpetual alarms, he bade 
farewell to his friendly Bedouins, and leaving 
Egypt behind, sought a safer .refuge in VYestern 
Afj-ica. The province of Barca was at that time 



282 ABDERAHMAN, 

governed by Aben Habib, who had risen to rank 
and fortune under the fostering favor of the Om- 
miades. " Surely," thought the unhappy prince. 
*' I shall receive kindness and protection from this 
man ; he will rejoice to show his gratitude for 
the benefits showered upon him by my kindred." 

Abderahman was young, and as yet knew little 
of mankind. None are so hostile to the victim 
of power as those whom he has befriended. They 
fear being suspected of gratitude by his perse- 
cutors, and involved in his misfortunes. 

The unfortunate Abderahman had halted for a 
few days to repose himself among a horde of Bed- 
ouins, who had received him with their character- 
istic hospitality. They would gather round him 
in the evenings to listen to his conversation, re- 
garding with wonder this gently spoken stranger 
from the more refined country of Egypt. The 
old men marveled to find so much knowledtre 
and wisdom in such early youth, and the young 
men, won by his frank and manly carriage, en- 
treated him to remain among them. 

In the mean time the Wali Aben Habib, like 
all the governors of distant posts, had received 
orders from the caliph to be on the watch for the 
fugitive prince. Hearing that a young man an- 
swering the description had entered the province 
alone, from the frontiers of Egypt, on a steed 
worn down by travel, he sent forth horsemen in 
his pursuit, with orders to bring him to him dead 
or alive. The emissaries of the wali traced him 
to his resting-place, and coming upon the encamp- 
ment in the dead of the night, demanded of the 



ABDERAEMAN. 283 

Arabs whether a young man, a stranger from 
Syria, did not sojourn among their tribe. The 
Bedouins knew by the description that the 
stranger must be their guest, and feared some evil 
was intended him. " Such a youth," said they, 
" has mdeed sojourned among us ; but he hiis 
gone, with some of our young men, to a distant 
valley to hunt the lion." The emissaries in- 
quired the way to the place, and hastened on to 
surprise their expected prey. 

The Bedouins repaired to Abderahman, who 
was still sleeping. "If thou hast augiit to fear 
from man in power," said they, '' arise and fly ; 
for the horsemen of the wali are in quest of thee ! 
We have sent them off for a time on a wrong 
errand, but they will soon return." 

" Alas ! whither shall I fly ? " cried the un- 
happy prince ; " my enemies hunt me like the 
ostrich of the desert. They follow me like the 
wind, and allow me neither safety nor repose ! " 

Six of the bravest youths of the tribe stepped 
forward. " We have steeds," said they, " that 
can outstrip the wind, and hands that can hurl 
the javelin. We will accompany thee in thy 
flight, and will fight by thy side while life lasts, 
and we have weapons to wield." 

Abderahman embraced them with tears of 
gratitude. They mounted their steeds, and made 
for the most lonely parts of the desert. By the 
faint light of the stars, they passed through dreary 
wastes, and over hills of sand. The lion roared 
and the hyena howled unheeded, for they fled 
from man, more cruel and relentless, when in 



284 ABDERAHMAN, 

pursuit of blood, than the savage beasts of the 
desert. 

At sunrise they paused to refresh themselves 
beside a scanty well, surrounded by a few palm- 
trees. One of the young Arabs climbed a tree, 
and looked in every direction, but not a horseman 
was to be seen. 

" We have outstripped pursuit," said the Bed- 
ouins ; " whither shall we conduct thee ? Where 
is thy home, and the land of thy people ? " 

'' Home have I none 1 " replied Abderahman, 
mournfully, " nor family, nor kindred ! My native 
land is to me a land of destruction, and my peo- 
ple seek my life!" 

The hearts of the youthful Bedouins were 
touched with compassion at these words, and they 
marveled that one so young and gentle should 
have suffered such great sorrow and persecution. 

Abderahman sat by tlie well and mused for a 
time. At length, breaking silence, " In the midst 
of Mauritania," said he, *' dwells the tribe of 
Zeneta. My mother was of that tribe ; and per- 
haps when her son presents liimself, a persecuted 
wanderer, at their door, they will not turn him 
from the threshold." 

" The Zenetes," replied the Bedouins, " are 
among the bravest and most hospitable of the 
people of Africa. Never did the unfortunate 
seek refuge among them in vain, nor was the 
stranger repulsed from their door." So they 
mounted their steeds with renewed spirits, and 
journeyed with all speed to Tahart, the capital of 
the Zenetes. 



ABDERAHMAN, 2S5 

Wheu Abderaiimaii entered the place, followed 
by his six rustic Arabs, all wayworn and travel- 
stained, his noble and majestic demeanor shone 
through the simple garb of a Bedouin. A crowd 
gathered around him as he alighted from his weary 
steed. Confiding in the well-known character of 
the tribe, he no longer attempted concealment. 

" You behold before you," said he, " one of 
the proscribed house of Omeya. I am that Ab- 
derahman upon whose head a price has been set, 
and who has been driven from land to land. I 
come to you as my kindred. My mother was of 
your tribe, and she told me with her dying breath 
that in all time of need I would find a home and 
friends among the Zenetes." 

The words of Abderahman went straight to 
the hearts of his hearers. They pitied his youth 
and his great misfortunes, while they were charmed 
by his frankness, and by the manly graces of his 
person. The tribe was of a bold and generous 
spirit, and not to be awed by the frown of power. 
^'Evil be upon us and upon our children," said 
they, " if we deceive the trust thou hast placed 
in us ! " 

One of the noblest, Xeques, then took Ab- 
derahman to his house, and treated him as his own 
child ; and the principal people of the tribe strove 
who most should cherish him and do him honor — 
endeavoring to obliterate by their kindness the 
recollection of his past misfortunes. 

Abderahman had resided some time among the 
hospitable Zenetes, when one day two strangers 
of venerable appearance, attended by a small ret- 



286 ABDERAHMAN. 

inue, arrived at Tahart. They gave themselves 
out as merchants, and from the simple style in 
which they travelled, excited no attention. In a 
little while they sought out Abderahman, and, 
taking him apart, " Hearken," said they, " Ab- 
derahman, of the royal line of Omeya. We are 
ambassadors, sent on the part of the principal 
Moslems of Spain, to offer thee, not merely an 
asylum, for that thou hast already among these 
brave Zenetes, but an empire ! Spain is a prey 
to distracting factions, and can no longer exist as 
a dependence upon a throne too remote to watch 
over its welfare. It needs to be independent of 
Asia and Africa, and to be under the government 
of a good prince, who shall reside within it and 
devote himself entirely to its prosperity ; a prince 
with sufficient title to silence all rival claims and 
bring the warring parties into unity and peace ; 
and, at the same time, with sufficient ability and 
virtue to insure the welfare of his dominions. 
For this purpose the eyes of all the honorable 
leaders in Spain have been turned to thee as a 
descendant of the royal line of Omeya, and an 
offset from the same stock as our holy prophet. 
They have heard of thy virtues, and of thy ad- 
mirable constancy under misfortunes ; and invite 
thee to accept the sovereignty of one of the 
noblest countries in the world. Thou wilt have 
some difficulties to encounter from hostile men ; 
but thou wilt have on thy side the bravest cap- 
tains that have signalized themselves in the con- 
quest of the unbelievers." 

The ambassadors ceased, and Abderahman re- 



ABDERAHMAN. 287 

mained for a time lost in wonder and admiration. 

" God is great ! " exclaimed he, at length ; " there 
is but one God, who is God, and Mahomet is his 
prophet ! Illustrious ambassadors, you have put 
new life into my soul, for you have shown me 
something to live for. In the few years that I 
have lived, troubles and sorrows have been heaped 
upon my head, and I have become inured to hard- 
ships and alarms. Since it is the wish of the 
valiant Moslems of Spain, I am willing to become 
their leader and defender, and devote myself to 
their cause, be it happy or disastrous." 

The ambassadors now cautioned him to be 
silent as to their errand, and to depart secretly for 
Spain. "The 'seaboard of Afi'ica," said they, 
J' swarms with your enemies, and a powerful faction 
in Spain would intercept you on landing, did they 
know your name and rank, and the object of your 
coming." 

But Abderahman replied : " I have been 
cherished in adversity by these brave Zenetes ; 
I have been protected and honored by them when 
a price was set upon my head, and to harbor me 
was great peril. How can I keep my good 
fortune from my benefactors, and desert their 
hospitable roofs in silence? He is unworthy of 
friendship who withholds confidence from his 
friend." 

Charmed with the generosity of his feeh'ngs, 
the ambassadors made no opposition to his wishes. 
The Zenetes proved themselves worthy of his 
confidence. They hailed with joy the great change 
;n his fortunes. The warriors and the young men 



288 



ABDERAHMAN, 



pressed forward to follow and aid them with horse 
and weapon ; ^' for the honor of a noble house and 
family," said they, " can be maintained only by 
lances and horsemen." In a few days he set 
forth with the ambassadors, at the head of nearly 
a thousand horsemen, skilled in war, and exercised 
in the desert, and a large body of infantry, armed 
with lances. The venerable Xeque, with whom 
he had resided, blessed him, and shed tears over 
him at parting, as though he had been his own 
child ; and when the youth passed over the thresh- 
old, the house was filled with lamentations. 





CHAPTER II. 

Landing of Abderahraan in Spain. — Condition of the Coun- 
try. 

IBDERAHMAN BEN OMEYA ar- 
rived in safety on the coast of Andalu- 
sia and landed at Almunecar, or Malaga, 
with his little band of warlike Zenetes. Spain 
was at that time in great confusion. Upwards of 
forty years had elapsed since the Conquest. The 
civil wars in Syria and Egypt, and occasional re- 
volts in Africa, had caused frequent overflowings 
of different tribes into Spain, which was a place 
of common refuge. Hither, too, came the frag- 
ments of defeated armies, desperate in fortune, 
with weapons in their hands. These settled 
themselves in various parts of the peninsula, 
which thus became divided between the Arabs of 
Yemen, the Egyptians, the Syrians, and the Al- 
abdarides. The distractions in its Eastern and 
African provinces prevented the main govern- 
ment at Damascus from exercising any control 
over its distant and recently acquired territory in 
Spain, which soon became broken up into factions 
and a scene of all kinds of abuses. Every sheik 
and wali considered the town or province com- 
mitted to his charge an absolute property, and 
practiced the most arbitrary extortions. These 
19 



290 ABDERAHMAN. 

excesses at length became insupportable, aLd at a 
convocation of the principal leaders it was deter- 
mined, as a means of ending these dissensions, to 
unite all the Moslem provinces of the peninsula 
under one emir, or general governor. Yusuf el 
Fehri, an ancient man of honorable lineage, 
being of the tribe of Koreish, and a descendant 
of Ocba, the conqueror of Africa, was chosien for 
this station. He began his reign with policy, and 
endeavored to conciliate all parties. At the head 
of the Egyptian faction was a veteran warrior, 
named Samael, to whom Yusuf gave the gov- 
ernment of Toledo, and to his son that of Sara- 
gossa. At the head of the Alabdarides was Amer 
ben Amru, Emir of the Seas ; his office being 
suppressed, Yusuf gave him in place thereof the 
government of the noble city of Seville. Thus 
he proceeded, distributing honors and commands, 
and flattered himself that he secured the loyalty 
and good-will of every one whom he benefited. 

Who shall pretend, says the Arabian sage, to 
content the human heart by benefits, when even 
the bounties of Allah are ineffectual ? In seek- 
ing to befriend all parties, Yusuf created for 
himself inveterate enemies. Amer ben Amru, 
powerful from his wealth and connections, and 
proud of his descent from Mosab, the standard- 
bearer of the prophet in the battle of Beder, 
was indignant that Samael and his son, with 
whom he was at deadly feud, should be appointed 
to such important commands. He demanded one 
of those posts for himself, and was refused. An 
insurrection and a civil war was the consequence ; 



ABDERAEMAN, 291 

and the country was laid waste with fire and 
Bword. The inhabitants of the villages fled to 
the cities for refuge ; flourishing towns disap- 
peared from the face of the earth, or were reduced 
to heaps of rubbish. 

In these dismal times, say the Arabian chroni- 
' clers, the very heavens gave omens of the dis- 
tress and desolation of the earth. At Cordova 
two pale and livid suns were seen shedding a 
baleful light. In the north appeared a flaming 
scythe, and the heavens were red as blood. These 
were regarded as presages of direful calamities 
and bloody wars. 

At the time of the landing of Abderahman in 
Spain, Yusuf had captured Saragossa, in which 
was Amer ben Amru, with his son and secretary, 
and loading them with chains and putting them 
on camels, he set out on his return to Cordova. 
He had halted one day in a valley called Wadar- 
amla, and was reposing with his family in his 
tent, while his people and the prisoners made a 
repast in the open air. The heart of the old 
emir was lifted up, for he thought there was no 
one to dispute with him the domination of Spain. 
In the midst of his exultation some horsemen 
were seen spurring up the valley, bearing the 
standard of the Wall Samael. 

That ofiicer arrived, covered with dust and ex- 
hausted with fatigue. He brought tidings of the 
arrival of Abderahman, and that the whole sea- 
board was flocking to his standard. Messenger 
after messenger arrived confirming the fearful 
tidings, and adding that this descendant of the 



292 ABDERAEMAN. 

Omeyas had been secretly invited to Spain by 
Amru and his party. 

Yusuf waited not to ascertain the truth of this 
accusation. In a transport of fury he ordered 
that Amru, his son, and secretary should be cut 
to pieces. His orders were instantly executed ; 
and this cruelty, adds the Arabian chronicler, lost 
hjm the favor of Allah ; for from that time suc- 
cess deserted his standard. 




GHAPTER III. ^ 

Triumphs of Abderahman. — The Palm-tree which he plant- 
ed, and the Verses he composed thereupon. — Insurrections. — 
His Enemies subdued. — Undisputed Sovereign of the Mos- 
lems of Spain, — Begins th , famous Mosque in Cordova, — 
His Death. 



fBDERAHMAN had indeed been hailed 



f 

m 



with joy on his landing. The old peo- 
ple hoped to find tranquillity under the 
sway of one supreme chieftain, descended from 
their ancient caliphs ; the young men were re- 
joiced to have a youthful warrior to lead them on 
to victories ; and the populace, charmed with his 
freshness and manly beauty, his majestic yet 
gracious and affable demeanor, shouted, " Long 
live Abderahman, Miramamolin of Spain ! '* 

In a few days the youthful sovereign saw him- 
self at the head of more than twenty thousand 
men, from the neighborhood of Elvira, Almeria, 
Malaga, Xeres, and Sidonia. Fair Seville threw 
opea its gates at his approach, and celebrated his 
arrival with public rejoicings. He continued his 
march into the country, vanquished one of the 
sons of Yusuf before the gates of Cordova, and 
obliged him to take refuge within its walls, where 
he held him in close siege. Hearing, however, of 
the approach of Yusuf, the father, with a power- 
ful army, he divided his forces, and leaving ten 



294 ABDERAHMAN. 

thousand men to press the siege, he hastened with 
the other ten to meet the coming foe. 

Yusuf had indeed mustered a formidable force, 
from the east and south of Spain, and accom- 
panied by his veteran general, S^mael, came with 
confident boasting to drive this intruder from the 
land. His confidence increased on beholding the 
small army of Abderahman. Turning to Samael, 
he repeated, with a scornful sneer, a verse from 
an Arabian poetess, which says : — 

*'How hard is our lot ! We come, a thirsty 
multitude, and lo ! but this cup of water to share 
among us ! " 

There was indeed a fearful odds. On the one 
side were two veteran generals, grown gray in 
victory, with a mighty host of warriors, seasoned 
in the wars of Spain. On the other side was a 
mere youth, scarce attained to manhood, with a 
hasty levy of half-disciplined troops ; but the youth 
was a prince, flushed with hope, and aspiring after 
fame and empire, and surrounded by a devoted 
band of warriors from Africa, whose example in- 
fused zeal into the little army. 

The encounter took place at daybreak. The 
impetuous valor of the Zenetes carried everything 
before it. The cavalry of "Yusuf was broken and 
driven back upon the infantry, and before noon 
the whole host was put to headlong flight. Yusuf 
and Samael were born along in the torrent of the 
fugitives, raging and storming, and making inef- 
fectual efforts to rally them. They were separated 
widely in the confusion of the flight, one taking 
refuge in the Algarves, the other in the khigdora 



ABDERAHMAN, 295 

of Murcia. They afterward rallied, reunited 
their forces, and made another desperate stand 
near to Almunecar. The battle was obstinate 
and bloody, but they were again defeated, and 
driven, with a handful of followers, to take refuge 
in the rugged mountains adjacent to Elvira. 

The spirit of the veteran Samael gave way be- 
fore these fearful reverses. " In vain, O Yusuf ! '* 
said he, " do we contend with the prosperous star 
of this youthful conqueror ; the will of Allah be 
done ! Let us submit to our fate, and sue for fa- 
vorable terras while we have yet the means of 
capitulation." 

It was a hard trial for the proud spirit of Yusuf, 
that had once aspired to uncontrolled sway; but 
he was compelled to capitulate. Abderahman was 
as generous as brave. He granted the two gray- 
headed generals the most honorable conditions, 
and even took the veteran Samael into favor, em- 
ploying him, as a mark of confidence, to visit the 
eastern provinces of Spain, and restore them to 
tranquillity. Yusuf, having delivered up Elvira 
and Granada, and complied with other articles of 
his capitulation, was permitted to retire to Murcia, 
and rejoin his son Muharaad. A general aninest} 
to all chiefs and soldiers who should yield up their 
strongholds and lay down their arms completed 
the triumph of Abderahman, and brought all hearts 
into obedience. Thus terminated this severe strug- 
gle for the domination of Spain ; and thus the il- 
lustrious family of Omeya, after having been cast 
down and almost exterminated in the East, took 
new root, and sprang forth prosperously in the 
West. 



296 ABDERAHMAN. 

Wherever Abderahman appeared, he was re- 
ceived with rapturous acclamations. As he rode 
through the cities, the populace rent the air with 
shouts of joy ; the stately palaces were crowded 
with spectators, eager to gain a sight of his grace- 
ful form and beaming countenance ; and when 
they beheld the mingled majesty and benignity of 
their new monarch, and the sweetness and gen- 
tleness of his whole conduct, they extolled him as 
something more than mortal, — as a beneficent 
genius, sent for the happiness of Spain. 

In the interval of peace which now succeeded, 
Abderahman occupied himself in promoting the 
useful and elegant arts, and in introducing into 
Spain the refinements of the East. Considering 
the building and ornamenting of cities as among 
the noblest employments of the tranquil hours of 
princes, he bestowed great pains upon beautifying 
the city of Cordova and its environs. He recon- 
structed banks and dykes to keep the Guadal- 
quivir from overflowing its borders, and on the 
vast terraces thus formed he planted delightful 
gardens. In the midst of these he erected a 
lofty tower, commanding a view of the vast and 
fruitful valley, enlivened by the windings of the 
river. In this tower would he pass hours of 
meditation, gazing on the soft and varied land- 
scape, and inhaling the bland and balmy airs of 
that delightful region. At such times his thoughts 
would recur to the past, and the misfortunes of his 
youth ; the massacre of his family would rise to 
view, mingled with tender recollections of his iia- 
tive country, from which he was exiled. In 



ABDERAHMAN, 297 

these melancholy musings, he would sit with hia 
ejes fixed upon a palm-tree which he had planted 
in the midst of his garden. It is said to have 
l^^en the first ever planted in Spain, and to have 
been the parent stock of all the palm-trees which 
grace the southern provinces of the peninsula. 
The heart of Abderahman yearned toward this 
tree; it was the offspring of his native country, 
and like him an exile. In one of his moods of 
tenderness he composed verses upon it, which have 
since become famous throughout the world. The 
following is a rude but literal translation : — 

" Beauteous palm ! thou also wert hither brought 
a stranger ; but thy roots have found a kindly soil, 
thy head is lifted to the skies, and the sweet airs 
of Algarve fondle and kiss thy branches. 

" Thou hast known, like me, the storms of ad- 
verse fortune. Bitter tears wouldst thou shed, 
couldst thou feel my woes. Repeated griefs have 
overwhelmed me. With early tears I bedewed 
the palms on the banks of the Euphrates; but 
neither tree nor river heeded my sorrows, when 
driven by cruel fate and the ferocious Abu al Ab- 
bas, from the scenes of my childhood and the sweet 
objects of my affection. 

" To thee no remembrance remains of my be- 
loved country ; I, unhappy ! can never recall it 
without tears ! '* 

The generosity of Abderahman to his van- 
quished foe was destined to be abused. The 
veteran Yusuf, in visiting certain of the cities 
which he had surrendered, found himself sur- 
rounded by zealous partisans, ready to peril life in 



298 ABDERAHMAN. 

his service. The love of command revived in hia 
bosom, and he repented the facility with which he 
had suffered himself to be persuaded to submis- 
sion. Flushed with new hopes of success, he caused 
arms to be secretly collected and deposited in 
various villages, most zealous in their professions 
of devotion, and raising a considerable body of 
troops, seized upon the castle of Almodovar. Tlie 
rash rebellion was short-lived. At the first ap- 
pearance of an army sent by Abderahman, and 
commanded by Abdelmelee, governor of Seville, 
the villages which had so recently professed loy- 
alty to Yusuf, hastened to declare their attachment 
to the monarch, and to give up the concealed arms. 
Almodovar was soon retaken, and Yusuf, driven 
to the environs of Lorea, was surrounded by the 
cavalry of Abdelmelee. The veteran endeavored 
to cut a passage through the enemy, but after fight- 
ing with desperate fury, and with a force of arm 
incredible in one of his age, he fell beneath blows 
from weapons of all kinds, so that after the battle 
his body could scarcely be recognized, so numerous 
were the wounds. His head was cut off and sent 
to Cordova, where it was placed in an iron cage, 
over the gate of the city. 

The old lion was dead, but his whelps sur- 
vived. Yusuf had left three sons, who inherited 
his warlike spirit, and were eager to revenge his 
death. Collecting a number of the scattered ad- 
herents of their house, they surprised and seized 
upon Toledo during the absence of Temam, its 
wall or commander. In this old warrior city, 
built upon a rock, and almost surrounded by the 



ABDERAHMAN, 299 

Tagus, they set up a kind of robber hold, scour- 
ing the surrounding country, levying tribute, seiz- 
ing upon horses, and compelling the peasantry to 
join their standard. Every day cavalcades of 
horses and mules, laden with spoil, with flocks 
of sheep and droves of cattle, came pouring over 
the bridges on either side of the city, and throng- 
ing in at the gates, — the plunder of the surround- 
ing country. Those of the inhabitants who were 
still loyal to Abderahman dared not lift up their 
voices, for men of the sword bore sway. At 
length one day, when the sons of Yusuf, with 
their choicest troops, were out on a maraud, the 
watchmen on the towers gave the alarm. A troop 
of scattered horsemen were spurring wildly toward 
the gates. The banners of the sons of Yusuf 
were descried. Two of them spurred into the city, 
followed by a handful of warriors, covered with 
confusion and dismay. They had been encoun- 
tered and defeated by the Wali Temam, and one 
of the brothers had been slain. 

The gates were secured in all haste, and the 
walls were scarcely manned when Temam ap- 
peared before them with his troops, and sum- 
moned the city to surrender. A great internal 
commotion ensued between the loyalists and the 
insurgents ; the latter, however, had weapons in 
their hands, and prevailed ; and for several days, 
trusting to the strength of their roek-built fortress, 
they set the wali at defiance. At length some 
of the loyal inhabitants of Toledo, who knew all 
ts secret and subterraneous passages, some of 
which, if chroniclers may be believed, have ex- 



300 ABDERAHMAN. 

isted since the days of Hercules, if not of Tubal 
Cain, introduced Temam, and a chosen band of 
his warriors, into the very centre of the city, 
where they suddenly appeared as if by magic. A 
panic seized upon the insurgents. Some sought 
safety in submission, some in concealment, some 
in flight. Casim, one of the sons of Yusuf, es- 
caped in disguise ; the youngest, unharmed, was 
taken, and was sent captive to the king, accom- 
panied by the head of his brother, who had been 
slain in battle. 

When Abderahman beheld the youth laden 
with chains, he remembered his own sufferings 
in his early days, and had compassion on him ; 
but, to prevent him from doing further mischief, 
he .imprisoned him in a tower of the wall of 
Cordova. 

In the mean time, Casim, who had escaped, 
managed to raise another band of warriors. Spain, 
in all ages a guerilla country, prone to partisan 
warfare and petty maraud, was at that time in- 
fested by bands of licentious troops, who had 
sprung up in the civil contests ; their only object 
pillage, their only dependence the sword, and 
ready to flock to any new and desperate standard 
that promised the greatest license. With a ruf- 
fian force thus levied, Casim scoured the country, 
took Sidonia by storm, and surprised Seville 
while in a state of unsuspecting security. 

Abderahman put himself at the head of his 
faithful Zenetes, and took the field in person. By 
the rapidity of his movements the rebels were 
defeated, Sidonia and Seville speedily retaken, 



ABDERAHMAN. 301 

and Casim was made prisoner. The generosity 
of Abderahman was again exhibited toward this 
unfortunate son of Yusuf. He spared his life, 
and sent him to be confined in a tower at Toledo. 

The veteran Samael had taken no part in these 
insurrections, but had attended faithfully to the 
affairs intrusted to him by Abderahman. The 
death of his old friend and colleague Yusuf, 
liowever, and the subsequent disasters of his 
family, filled him with despondency. Fearing the 
inconstancy of fortune, and the dangers incident 
to public employ, he entreated the king to be 
permitted to retire to his house in Seguenza, and 
indulge a privacy and repose suited to his ad- 
vanced age. His prayer was granted. The 
veteran laid by his arms, battered in a thousand 
conflicts ; hung his sword and lance against the 
wall, and, surrounded by a few friends, gave him- 
self up apparently to the sweets of quiet and un- 
ambitious leisure. 

Who can count, however, upon the tranquil 
content of a heart nurtured amid the storms of 
war and ambition ? Under the ashes of this out- 
ward humility were glowing the coals of faction. 
In his seemingly philosophical retirement, Samael 
was concerting with his friends new treason 
against Abderahman. His plot was discovered ; 
his house was .suddenly surrounded by troops ; 
and he was conveyed to a tower at Toledo, 
where, in the course of a few months, he died iu 
eaptivity. ^ 

The magnanimity of Abderahman was again 
put to the proof by a new insurrection at Toledo. 



302 ABDERAHMAN. 

Hixem ben Adra, a relation of Yusuf, seized 
upon the Alcazar, or citadel, slew several of the 
royal adherents of the king, liberated Casim from 
his tower, and, summoning all the banditti of the 
country, soon mustered a force of ten thousand 
men. Abderahman was quickly before the walls 
of Toledo, with the troops of Cordova and his 
devoted Zenetes. The rebels were brought to 
terms, and surrendered the city on promise of 
general pardon, which was extended even to 
Hixem and Casim. When the chieftains saw 
Hixem and his principal confederates in the power 
of Abderahman, they advised him to put them 
all to death. " A promise given to traitors and 
rebels," said they, *' is not binding when it is to 
the interest of the state that it should be broken." 

" No ! " replied Abderahman, " if the safety 
of my throne were at stake, I would not break 
my word." So saying, he confirmed the amnesty, 
and granted Hixem ben Adra a worthless life, 
to be employed in further treason. 

Scarcely had Abderahman returned from 
this expedition, when a powerful army, sent by 
the caliph, landed from Africa on the coast of 
the Algarves. The commander, Aly ben Mo- 
gueth. Emir of Cairvan, elevated a rich banner 
which he had received from the hands of the 
caliph. Wherever he went, he ordered the caliph 
of the East to be proclaimed by sound of trumpet, 
denouncing Abderahman as a usurper, the vagrant 
member of a family proscribed and execrated iu 
all the mosques of the East. 

One of the first to join his standard was Hixem 



ABDERAEMAN, 303 

ben Adra, so recently pardoned by Abderabnmn. 
He seized upon the citadel of Toledo, and repair- 
ing to the camp of Aly, offered to deliver the 
city into his hands. 

Abderahman, as bold in war as he was gentle 
in peace, took the field with his wonted prompt- 
ness ; overthi-ew his enemies with great slaugh- 
ter; drove some to the sea-coast to regain their 
ships, and others to the mountains. The body 
of Aly was found on the field of battle. Abde- 
rahman caused the head to be struck off, and con- 
veyed to Cairvan, were it was affixed at night 
to a column in the public square, with this in- 
scription, — " Thus Abderahman, the descendant 
of the Omeyas, punishes the rash and arrogant." 

Hixem ben Adra escaped from the field of 
battle, and excited farther troubles, but was 
eventually captured by Abdelmelee, who ordered 
his head to be struck off on the spot, lest he 
should again be spared through the wonted clem- 
ency of Abderahman. 

Notwithstanding these signal triumphs, the 
reicrn of Abderahman was disturbed bv further 
insurrections, and by another descent from Africa, 
but he was victorious over them all ; striking the 
roots of his power deeper and deeper into the 
land. Under his sway, the government of Spain 
became more regular and consolidated, and ac- 
quired an independence of the empire of the East. 
The caliph continued to be considered as first 
pontiff and chief of the religion, but he ceased to 
have any temporal power over Spain. 

Having again an interval of peace, Abderahman 



304 ABDERAHMAN, 

devoted himself to the education of his children. 
Suleiman, the eldest, he appointed wali, or 
governor, of Toledo ; Abdallah, the second, was 
intrusted with the command of Merida ; but the 
third son, Hixem, was the delight of his heart, the 
son of Howara, his favorite sultana whom he 
loved throughout life with the utmost tenderness. 
With this youth, who was full of promise, he re- 
laxed from the fatigues of government ; joining in 
his youthful sports amidst the delightful gardens 
of Cordova, and teaching him the gentle art of 
falconry, of which the king was so fond that he 
received the name of the Falcon of Coraixi. 

While Abderahman was thus indulging in the 
gentle propensities of his nature, mischief was 
secretly at work. Muhamad, the youngest son 
of Yusuf, had been for many years a prisoner in 
the tower of Cordova. Being passive and re- 
signed, his keepers relaxed their vigilance, and 
brought him forth from his dungeon. He went 
groping about, however, in broad daylight, as if 
still in the darkness of his tower. His guards 
watched him narrowly, lest this should be a de- 
ception, but were at length convinced that the 
long absence of light had rendered him blind. 
They now permitted him to descend frequently to 
the lower chambers of the tower, and to sleep 
there occasionally during the heats of summer. 
They even allowed him to grope his way to the 
cistern, in quest of water for his ablutions. 

A year passed in this way, without anything 
to excite suspicion. During all this time, how- 
ever, the blindness of Muhamad was entirely a 



ABDERAHMAN. 305 

deception ; and he was concerting a plan of escape, 
through the aid of some friends of his father, 
who found means to visit him occasionally. One 
sultry evening in midsummer the guards had gone 
to bathe in the Guadalquivir, leaving Muhamad 
alone, in the lower chambers of the tower. No 
sooner were they out of sight and hearing, than 
he hastened to a window of the staircase, leading 
down to the cistern, lowered himself as far as his 
arms would reach, and dropped without injury to 
the ground. Plunging into the Guadalquivir, 
he swam across to a thick grove on the opposite 
side, where his friends were waiting to receive 
him. Here, mounting a horse which they had 
provided for an event of the kind, he fled across 
the country, by solitary roads, and made good his 
escape to the mountains of Jaen. 

The guardians of the tower dreaded for some 
time to make known his flight to Abderahman. 
When at length it was told to him, he exclaimed, — 
*^ All is the work of eternal wisdom ; it is intended 
to teach us that we cannot benefit the wicked 
without injuring the good. The flight of that 
blind man will cause much trouble and blood- 
shed." 

His predictions were verified. Muhamad reared 
the standard of rebellion in the mountains ; the 
seditious and discontented of all kinds hastened 
to join it, together with soldiers of fortune, or 
rather wandering banditti, and he had soon six 
thousand men, well armed, liardy in habits, and 
desperate in character. His brother Casim also 

reappeared about the same time, in the mountains 
20 



306 ABDERAHMAN. 

of Ronda, at the head of a daring band, that laid 
all the neighboring valleys under contribution. 

Abderahman summoned his alcaids from theii 
various military posts, to assist in driving the 
rebels from their mountain fastnesses into the 
plains. It was a dangerous and protracted toil, 
for the mountains were frightfully wild and rug- 
ged. He entered them with a powerful host, 
driving the rebels from height to height, and valley 
to valley, and harassing them by a galling fire 
from thousands of cross-bows. At length a de- 
cisive battle took place near the river Guadalemar. 
The rebels were signally defeated; four thousand 
fell in action ; many were drowned in the river, 
and Muhamad, with a few horsemen, escaped to 
the mountains of the Algarves. Here he was 
hunted by the alcaids from one desolate retreat 
to another; his few followers grew tired of shar- 
ing the disastrous fortunes of a fated man, one by 
one deserted him, and he himself deserted the re- 
mainder, fearing they might give him up, to pur- 
chase their own pardon. 

Lonely and disguised, he plunged into the 
depths of the forests, or lurked in dens and caverns 
like a famished wolf, often casting back his 
thoughts with regret to the time of his captivity in 
the gloomy tower of Cordova. Hunger at length 
drove him to Alarcon, at the risk of being dis- 
covered. Famine and misery, however, had so 
wasted and changed him, that he was not rec- 
ognized. He remained nearly a year in Alarcon, 
unnoticed and unknown, yet constantly torment- 
ing himself with the dread of discovery, and with 



ABDERAHMAN, 307 

groundless fears of the vengeance of Abderahman, 
Death at length put an end to his wretchedness. 

A milder fate attended his brother Casim. 
Being defeated in the mountains of Murcia, he 
was conducted in chains to Cordova. On coming 
into the presence of Abderahman, his once fierce 
and haughty spirit, broken by distress, gave way ; 
he threw himself on the earth, kissed the dust 
beneath the feet of the king, and implored his 
clemency. The benignant heart of Abderahman 
was filled with melancholy, rather than exultation, 
at beholding this wreck of the once haughty family 
of Yusuf a suppliant at his feet, and suing for 
mere existence. He thought upon the mutability 
of Fortune, and felt how insecure are all her 
favors. He raised the unhappy Casim from the 
earth, ordered his irons to be taken off, and, not 
content with mere forgiveness, treated him with 
honor, and gave him possessions in Seville, where 
he might live in state conformable to the ancient 
dignity of his family. Won by this great and 
persevering magnanimity, Casim ever after re- 
mained one of the most devoted of his subjects. 

All the enemies of Abderahman were at length 
subdued; he reigned undisputed sovereign of the 
Moslems of Spain.; and so benign was his govern- 
ment, that every one blessed the revival of the 
illustrious line of Omeya. He was at all times 
iiccessible to the humblest of his subjects ; the 
poor man ever found in him a friend, and the 
oppressed a protector. He improved the ad- 
ministration of justice, established schools for 
public instruction, encoui'aged poets and men of 



I 



808 ABDERAHMAN, 

letters, and cultivated the sciences. He built 
mosques in every city that he visited ; inculcated 
religion by example as well as by precept ; and 
celebrated ail the festivals prescribed by the Koran 
with the utmost magnificence. 

As a monument of gratitude to God for the 
prosperity with which he had been favored, he 
undertook to erect a mosque in his favorite city 
of Cordova that should rival in splendor the 
great mosque of Damascus, and excel the one 
recently erected in Bagdad by the Abassides, the 
supplanters of his family. 

It is said that he himself furnished the plan 
for this famous edifice, and even worked on it, 
with his own hands, one hour in each day, to tes- 
tify his zeal and humility in the service of God, 
and to animate his workmen. He did not live 
to see it completed, but it was finished according 
to his plans by his son Hixem. When finished, 
it surpassed the most splendid mosques of the 
East. It was six hundred feet in length, and 
two hundred and fifty in breadth. Within were 
twenty eight aisles, crossed by nineteen, supported 
by a thousand and ninety-three columns of mar- 
ble. There were nineteen portals, covered wdth 
plates of bronze, of rare workmanship. The 
principal portal was covered with plates of gold. 
On the summit of the grand cupola were three 
gilt balls, surmounted by a golden pomegranate. 
At night the mosque was illuminated with four 
thousand seven hundred lamps, and great sums 
were expended in amber and aloes, which were 
burnt as perfumes. The mosque remains to this 



ABDERAHMAN. 309 

day shorn of its ancient splendor, yet still one of 
the grandest Moslem monuments in Spain. 

Finding himself advancing in years, Abderah- 
man assembled in his capital of Cordova the prin- 
cipal governors and commanders of his kingdom, 
and in presence of them all, with great solemnity, 
nominated his son Hixem as the successor to the 
throne. All present made an oath of fealty to 
Abderahman duiing his life, and to Hixem after 
his death. The prince was younger than his 
brothers, Suleiman and Abdallah ; but he was the 
son of Howara, the tenderly beloved sultana of 
Abderahman, and her influence, it is said, gained 
him this preference. 

Within a few months afterward Abderahman 
fell grievously sick at Merida. Finding his end 
approaching, he summoned Hixem to his bedside. 
" My son," said he, " the angel of death is hover- 
ing over me ; treasure up, therefore, in thy heart 
this dying counsel, which T give through the 
great love I bear thee. Remember that all em- 
pire is from God, who gives and takes it away, 
according to his pleasure. Since God, through 
his divine goodness, has given us regal power and 
authority, let us do his holy will, which is nothing 
else than to do good to all men, and especially to 
those committed to our protection. Render equal 
justice, my son, to the rich and the poor, and 
never suffer injustice to be done within thy do- 
minion, for it is the road to perdition. Be mer- 
ciful and benignant to those dependent upon thee. 
Confide the government of thy cities and prov- 
inces to men of worth and experience ; punish 



310 ABDERAEMAN, 

without compassion those ministers who oppre^ 
thy people with exorbitant exactions. Pay thy 
troops punctually ; teach them to feel a certainty 
in thy promises ; command them with gentleness 
but firmness, and make them in truth the defend- 
ers of the state, not its destroyers. Cultivate uti- 
ceasingly the affections of thy people ; for in their 
good-will consists the security of the state, iu 
their distrust its peril^ in their hatred its certain 
ruin. Protect the husbandmen, who cultivate 
the earth and yield us necessary sustenance ; 
never permit their fields and groves and gardens 
to be disturbed. In a word, act in such wise that 
thy people may bless thee, and may enjoy, under 
the shadow of thy wing, a secure and tranquil 
life. In this consists good government ; if thou 
dost practice it, thou wilt be happy among thy 
people, and renowned throughout the world." 

Having given this excellent counsel, the good 
King Abderahman blessed his son Hixem, and 
shortly after died, being but in the sixtieth year 
of age. He was interred with great pomp ; but 
the highest honors that distinguished his funeral 
were the tears of real sorrow shed upon his 
grave. He left behind liim a name for valor, 
justice, and magnanimity, and forever famous as 
being the founder of the glorious line of the Om- 
miades in Spain. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNAN GONZALEZ, 

COUNT OF CASTILE. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNAN &ONZALEZ, 



COUNT OF CASTILE. 



INTRODUCTION. 




j T the time of the general wreck of Spain 
by the sudden tempest of Arab invasion, 
many of the inhabitants took refuge in 
the mountains of the Asturias, burying them- 
selves in narrow valleys difficult of access, wher- 
ever a constant stream of water afforded a green 
bosom of pasture-land and scanty fields for culti- 
vation. For mutual protection they gathered to- 
gether in small villages called castros, or castrellos, 
with watch-towers and fortresses on impending 
cliffs, in which they might shelter and defend them- 
selves in case of sudden inroad. Thus arose the 
kingdom of the Asturias, subject to Pelayo and 
the kings his successors, who gradually extended 
their dominions, built towns and cities, and after 
a time fixed their seat of government at the 
city of Leon. 

An important part of the region over which 
they bore sway was ancient Cantabria, extending 



314 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

from the Bay of Biscay to the Duero, and called 
Castile from the number of castles with which it 
was studded. They divided it into seigniories, over 
which they placed civil and military governors 
called counts — a title said to be derived from the 
Latin comes, a companion, the person enjoying it 
being admitted to the familiar companionship of 
the king, entering into his councils in time of 
peace, and accompanying him to the field in time of 
war. The title of count was therefore more dig- 
nified than that of duke in the time of the Gothic 
kings. 

The power of these counts increased to such a 
degree that four of them formed a league to de- 
clare themselves independent of the crown of 
Leon. Ordono H., who was then king, received 
notice of it, and got them into his power by force, 
as some assert, but as others maintain, by per- 
fidious artifice. At any rate, they were brought 
to court, convicted of treason, and publicly be- 
headed. The Castilians flew to arms to revenge 
their deaths. Ordono took the field with a pow- 
erful army, but his own death defeated all his plans. 

The Castilians now threw off allegiance to the 
kingdom of Leon, and elected two judges to rule 
over them — one in a civil, the other in a mili- 
tary capacity. The first who filled those stations 
were Nuno Rasura and Lain Calvo, two power- 
ful nobles, the former descended from Diego Por- 
cello, a count of Lara ; the latter, ancestor of the 
renowned Cid Campeador. 

Nuno Rasura, the civil and political judge, was 
succeeded by his son Gonzalez Nuno, who mar- 



1 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 315 

ried Dona Ximena, a daughter of one of tbe 
counts of Castile put to death by Ordona II. 
From this marriage came Fenian Gonzalez, tbe 
subject of the following cbroniclea 




CHAPTER I. 

[nstallation of Feinan Gonzalez as Count of Castile. His 
First Campaign against the Moors. — Victory of San Quirce. 
-— How the Count disposed of the Spoils. 




I HE renowned Fernan Gonzalez, the most 
complete hero of his time, was born 
about the year 887. Historians trace 
his descent to Nuno Belchidez, nephew of the 
Emperor Charlemagne, and Dona Sula Bella, 
granddaughter to the Prince Don Sancho, rightful 
sovereign of Spain, but superseded by Roderick, 
the last of the Gothic kings. 

Fernan Gonzalez was hardily educated among 
the mountains in a strong place called Maron, in 
the house of Martin Gonzalez, a gallant and 
veteran cavalier. From his earliest years he was 
inured to all kinds of toils and perils, taught to 
hunt, to hawk, to ride the great horse, to manage 
sword, lance, and buckler ; in a word, he was ac- 
complished m all the noble exercises befitting a 
cavalier. 

His father Gonzalvo Nunez died in 903, and 
his elder brother Rodrigo in 904, without issue ; 
and such was the admiration already entertained 
of Fernan Gonzalez by the hardy mountaineers 
and old Castilian warriors, that thoui^h scarce 



CHRONICLE OF FERNAN GONZALEZ. 817 

seventeen years of age be was unanimously 
elected to rule over them. His title is said to 
have been Count, Duke, and Consul, under the 
seigniory of Alonzo the Great, King of Leon. A 
cortes, or assemblage of the nobility and chivalry 
of Castile and of the mountains, met together at 
the recently built city of Burgos to do honor to 
his installation. Sebastian, the renowned Bishop 
of Oca, officiated. 

In those stern days of Spain, the situation of 
a sovereign was not that of silken ease and idle 
ceremonial. When he put the rich crown upon 
his head, he encircled it likewise with shining 
steel. With the sceptre were united the lance 
and shield, emblems of perpetual war against the 
enemies of the faith. The cortes took this oc- 
casion to pass the following laws for the govern- 
ment of the realm : — 

1. Above all things the people should observe 
the law of God, the canons and statutes of the 
holy fathers, the liberty and privileges of the 
Church, and the respect due to its miuisters. 

2. No person should prosecute another out of 
Castile at any tribunal of justice or of arms, 
under pain of being considered a stranger. 

3. All Jews and Moors who refused to ac- 
knowledge the Christian faith should depart from 
Castile within two months. 

4. That cavaliers of noble blood should treat 
their tenants and vassals with love and gentleness. 

5. That he who slew another, or committed 
jmy other grave offense, should make equal 
measure of atonement. 



318 CHRONICLE OF FERNAN GONZALEZ. 

6. That no one should take the property of 
another ; but, if oppressed by poverty, should 
come to the count, who ought to be as a father 
to all. 

7. That all should unite and be of one heart, 
and aid one another in defense of their faith and 
of their country. 

Such were the ordinances of the ancient Cortes 
of Burgos ; brief and simple, and easy to be un- 
derstood ; not, as at the present day, multifarious 
and perplexed, to the confusion and ruin of clients 
and the enrichment of lawyers. 

Scarce was the installation ended, and while 
Burgos was yet abandoned to festivity, the young 
count, with the impatient ardor of youth, caused 
the trumpets to sound through the streets a call 
to arms. A captain of the Moorish king of 
Toledo was ravaging the territory of Castile at 
the head of seven thousand troops, and against 
him the youthful count determined to make his 
first campaign. In the spur of the moment but 
one hundred horsemen and fifteen hundred foot- 
soldiers could be collected ; but with this slender 
force the count prepared to take the field. Ruy 
Velazquez, a valiant cavalier, remonstrated against 
such rashness, but in vain. " I owe," said the 
count, " a death to the grave ; the debt can never 
be paid so honorably as in the service of God 
and my country. Let every one, therefore, 
address himself heart and hand to this enterprise ; 
^or if I come face to face with this Moor, I will 
most assuredly give him battle." So saying, he 
knelt before Bishop Sebastian of Salamanca aiid 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 319 

craved his benediction. The reverend prelate 
invoked on his head the blessing and protection 
of Heaven, for his heart yearned toward him ; 
but w^hen he saw the youthful warrior about to 
depart, he kindled as it were with a holy martial 
fire, and ordering his steed to be saddled he sal- 
lied forth with him to the wars. 

The little army soon came upon traces of the 
enemy in fields laid waste, and the smoking ruins 
of villages and hamlets. The count sent out 
scouts to clamber every height and explore every 
defile. From the summit of a hill they beheld 
the Moors encamped in a valley which was 
covered with the flocks and herds swept from the 
neighboring country. The camp of the marauders 
was formidable as to numbers, with various 
standards floating in the breeze ; for in this foray 
were engaged the Moorish chiefs of Saragossa, 
Denia, and Seville, together with many valiant 
Moslems who had crossed the straits fi*om Africa 
to share in what they considered a holy enter- 
prise. The scouts observed, however, that the 
most negligent security reigned throughout the 
camp ; some reposing, others feasting and revel- 
ing, all evidently considering themselves safe 
from any attack. 

Upon hearing this the count led his men 
secretly and silently to the assault, and came 
upon the Moors in the midst of their revelry, 
before they had time to buckle on their armor. 
The infidels, however, made a brave though con- 
fused resistance ; the camp was strewn with their 
dead : many were taken prisoners, and the rest 



320 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 

began to falter. The count killed their captain- 
general with his own hand, in single fight, a.* he 
was bravely rallying his troops. Upon seeing 
him fall, the Moors threw down their weapons 
and fled. 

Immense booty was found in the Moorish camp^ 

— partly the rich arms and equipments of the 
infidel warriors, partly the plunder of the country. 
An ordinary victor would have merely shared 
the spoils with his soldiery, but the count was as 
pious as he was brave, and, moreover, had by his 
side the venerable Bishop of Salamanca as coun- 
selor. Contenting himself, therefore, with dis- 
tributing one third among his soldiery, he shared 
the rest with God, devoting a large part to the 
Church, and to the relief of souls in purgatory 

— a pious custom, which he ever after observed. 
He moreover founded a church on the field of 
battle, dedicated to St. Quirce, on whose festival 
(the 16th July) this victory was obtained. To 
this church was subsequently added a monastery 
where a worthy fraternity of monks were main- 
tained in the odor of sanctity, to perpetuate the 
memory of this victory. All this was doubtless 
owing to the providential presence of the good 
bishop on this occasion ; and this is one instance 
of the great benefit derived from those priests 
and monks and other purveyors of the Church, 
who hovered about the Christian camps through- 
out all these wars with the infidels. 



CHAPTER II. 

Of the Sally from Burgos and Surprise of the Castle of 
Lara. — Capitulation of the Town. — Visit to Alfonzo the 
Great, King of Leon. 




OUNT FERNAN GONZALEZ did 

not remain idle after the victory of San 
Quirce. There was at this time an old 
castle, strong but much battered in the wars, 
which protected a small town, the remains of the 
once flourishing city of Lara. It was the ancient 
domain of his family, but was at present in pos- 
session of the Moors. In sooth it had repeatedly 
been taken and retaken ; for in those iron days 
no castle nor fortress remained long under the 
same masters. One year it was in the hands of 
the Christians ; the next, of the Moors. Some 
of these castles, with their dependent towns, were 
sacked, burnt, and demolished ; others remained 
silent and deserted, their original owners fearing 
to reside in them ; and their ruined towers were 
only tenanted by bats and owls and screaming 
birds of prey. Lara had lain for a time in ruins 
after bemg captured by the Moors, but had been 
rebuilt by them with diminished grandeur, and 
they held a strong garrison in the castle, whence 
they saUied forth occasionally to ravage the lands 
of the Christians. The Moorish chieftain of 

21 



322 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 

Lara, as has been observed, was among the asso 
dated marauders who had been routed in the 
battle of San Quirce ; and the Count Fernan 
Gonzalez thought this a favorable time to strike 
for the recovery of his family domain, now that 
the infidel possessor was weakened by defeat and 
could receive no succor. 

Appointing Rodrigo Velasquez and the Couut 
Don Vela Alvarez to act as governors of Castile 
during his absence, the count sallied forth from 
Burgos with a brilliant train of chivalry. Among 
the distinguished cavaliers who attended him were 
Martin Gonzalez, Don Gustios Gonzalez, Don 
Velasco, and Don Lope de Biscaya, which last 
brought a goodly band of stout Biscayans. The 
alfarez, or standard-bearer, was Orbita Velasquez, 
who had distinguished himself in the battle of 
San Quirce. He bore as a standard a great cross 
of silver, which shone gloriously in front of the 
host, and is preserved, even to the present day, 
in the church of San Pedro de Arlanza. One 
hundred and fifty noble cavaliers, well armed and 
mounted, with many esquires and pages of the 
lance, and three thousand foot-soldiers, all picked 
men, formed this small but stout-hearted army. 

The count led his troops with such caution that 
thev arrived in the neis^hborhood of Lara with- 
out being discovered. It was the vigil of St. 
John ; the country was wrapped in evening 
shadows, and the count was enabled to approach 
near to the place to make his observations. He 
perceived that his force was too inconsiderable to 
invest the town and fortress. Besides, about two 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 323 

leagues distant was the gaunt and rock- built cas- 
tle of Carazo, a presidio or stronghold of the 
Moors, whence he might be attacked in the rear, 
should he linger before the fortress. It was evi- 
dent, therefore, that whatever was to be effected 
must be done promptly and by sudden surprise. 
Revolving these things in his mind he put his 
troops in ambush in a deep ravine where they 
took their rest, while he kept watch upon the 
castle ; maturing his plans against the morrow. 
In this way he passed his midsummer's night, the 
vigil of the blessed St. John. 

The festival of St. John is observed as well by 
Mahometans as Christians. During the night the 
bonfires blazed on the hill-tops and the sound of 
music and festivity was heard from within the 
town. When the rising sun shone along the val- 
ley of the Arlanza the Moors in the castle, un- 
suspicious of any lurking danger, threw open the 
gates and issued forth to recreate themselves in 
the green fields and along the banks of the river. 
When they had proceeded to a considerable dis- 
tance, and a hill shut them from view, the count 
with his eager followers issued silently but swiftly 
from their hiding-place and made directly for the 
castle. On the way they met with another band 
of Moors who had likewise come forth for amuscr 
ment. The count struck the leader to the earth 
with one blow of his lance ; the rest were either 
slain or taken prisoners ; so that not one escaped 
to give the alarm. 

Those of the garrison who had remained in the 
castle, seeing a Christian force rushing up to the 



324 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

very walls, hastened to close the gates, but it i:-r 
too late. The count and his cavaliers burst them 
open and put every one to the sword who made 
opposition. Leaving Don Yelasco and a number 
of soldiers to guard the castle, the count hastened 
with the rest in pursuit of the Moors who were 
solemnizing the day on the banks of the Arlanza. 
Some were reclining on the grass, others were 
amusing themselves with music and the popular 
dance of the Zambra, while their arms lay scat- 
tered among the herbage. 

At sight of the Christians, they snatched up 
their weapons and made a desperate though vain 
resistance. Within two hours almost all were 
either slain or captured ; a few escaped to the 
neighboring mountains of Carazo. The town, 
seeing the castle in the hands of the Christians, 
and the garrison routed and destroyed, readily 
capitulated ; and the inhabitants were permitted 
to retain unmolested possession of their houses, 
on agreeing to pay to the count the same tribute 
which had been exacted from them by the Moor- 
ish king. Don Velasco was left alcaid of the 
fortress, and the count returned, covered with 
glory, to his capital of Burgos. 

The brilliant victories and hardy deeds of arms 
with which the youthful Count of Castile had 
commenced his reign excited the admiration of 
Alonzo the Great, King of Leon, and he sent 
missives urging him to appear at his royal court. 
The count accordingly set forth with a cavalcade 
of his most approved knights and. many of his 
relatives, sumptuously armed and arrayed and 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 325 

mounted on steeds richly caparisoned. It was a 
pageant befitting a young and magnificent chief, 
in the freshness and pleasance of his years. 

The king came out of the city to meet him, at- 
tended by all the pomp and grandeur of his court. 
The count alighted, and approached to kiss the 
king's hand ; but Alfonso alighted also, and em- 
braced him with great affection, and the friend- 
ship of these illustrious princes continued without 
interruption throughout the life of the king. 






CHAPTER III. 

Expedition against the Fortress of Mugnon. — Desperate De- 
fense of the Moors. — Enterprise against Castro Xeriz. 

ANY are the doughty achievements re- ' 
corded in ancient chronicles of this most 
valorous cavalier ; among others is his 
expedition, with a chosen band, against the castle 
of Mugnon, a place of great importance, which 
stood at no great distance from Burgos. He sal- 
lied from his capital in an opposite direction, to 
delude the Moorish scouts ; but making a sudden 
turn, came upon the fortress by surprise, broke 
down the gates, and forced his way in at the head 
of his troops, having nothing but a dagger in his 
hand, his lance and sword having been broken in 
the assault. The Moors fought desperately from 
court to tower, from tower to w^all ; and when 
they saw all resistance vain, many threw them- 
selves from the battlements into the ditch rather 
than be made captives. Leaving a strong gar- 
rison in the place, the count returned to Burgos 
His next enterprise was against Castro Xeriz, 
a city with a strong castle, which had been a 
thorn in the side of Castile — the Moorish garrison 
often sweeping the road between Burgos and 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 32? 

Leon, carrying off travellers, capturing cattle, 
and plundering convoys of provisions and mer- 
chandise. The count advanced against this place 
in open day, ravaging the country and announcing 
his approach by clouds of smoke from the burn- 
ing habitations of the Moors. Abdallah, the al- 
caid of the fortress, would have made peace, but 
the count refused all terms. " God,'' said he, 
" has appointed me to rescue his holy inheritance 
from the power of infidels ; nothing is to be nego- 
tiated but by the edge of the sword." 

Abdallah then made a sally with a chosen band 
of his cavaliers. They at first careered lightly 
with their Arabians steeds and launched their 
Moorish darts, but the Christians closed \\\ the 
old Gothic style, fighting hand to hand- Abdal- 
lah fell by the sword of the count, and his follow- 
ers fled with loosened reins back to the city. The 
Christians followed hard upon them, strewing the 
ground with dead. At the gate of the city they 
were met by Almondir, the son of Abdallah, who 
disputed the gateway and the street inch by inch, 
until the whole place ran with blood. The Moors, 
driven from the streets, took refuge in the castle, 
where Almondir inspirited them to a desperate 
defense, until a stone struck him as he stood on 
the battlements, and he fell to the earth dead. 
Having no leader to direct them, the Moors sur- 
rendered. When tne town was cleared of the 
dead and order restored, the count divided the 
spoils — allotting the houses among his followers, 
rind peopling the place with Christians. He gave 
the command of it to Layn Bermudez, with the 



S28 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 

title of count. From him descended an illustri- 
ous line of cavaliers termed de Castro, whose male 
line became extinct in Castile, but continued to 
flourish in Portugal. The place is said to have 
been called Castro Xeriz, in consequence of the 
blood shed in this conflict — xeriz, in the Arabic 
language signifying bloody. ^ 

1 Sandoval, p. 301. 




CHAPTER IV. 

How the Count of Castile and the King of Leon make a Tri 
umphant Foray into the Moorish Country. — Capture of 
Salamanca. — Of the Challenge brought by the Herald, 
and of the Count's Defiance. 




ilOUNT FERNAN GONZALEZ was 

restless, dariog, and impetuous ; he sel- 
dom suffered lance to rest on wall or 
steed in stable, and no Moorish commander could 
sleep in quiet who held town or tower in his neigh- 
borhood. King Alonzo the Great became emulous 
of sharing in his achievements, and they made a 
campaign together against the Moors. The count 
brought a splendid array of Castilian chivalry into 
the field, together with a host of Montaneses, 
hardy and vigorous troops from the Asturias, ex- 
cellent for marauding warfare. The King of 
Leon brought his veteran bands, seasoned to bat- 
tle. With their united forces they ravaged the 
Moorish country, marking their way with havoc 
and devastation ; arrived before Salamanca, they 
took that city by storm after a brave defense, and 
gave it up to be sacked by the soldiery. After 
which such of the Moors as chose to remain in it 
were suffered to retain their possessions as vassals 
to the king. Having accomplished this triumphant 
foray, they returned, each one to his capital. 



330 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

The Count of Castile did not repose long In 
his palace. One day a Moorish herald magni 
ficently dressed, rode into the city of Burgos, 
bringing Fernan Gonzalez a cartel of defiance. 
It was from a vaunting Moor named Acefali, who 
had entered the territories of Castile with a pow- 
erful force of horse and foot, giving out that he 
had come to measure strength and prowess with 
the count in battle, Don Fernan Gonzalez re- 
plied to the defiance with weapon in hand at the 
head of his warriors. A pitched battle ensued, 
which lasted from early morn until evening twi- 
light. In the course of the fight the count was 
in imminent peril, his horse being killed under 
him and himself surrounded, but he was rescued 
by his cavaliers. After great bloodshed, the 
Moors were routed and pursued beyond the bor- 
ders. The spoil gained in this battle was de- 
voutly expended in repairing the churches of Cas- 
tile and the Montaneses. 





CHAPTER V. 

A Night Assault upon the Castle of Carazo. — The Moorish 
Maiden who betrayed the Garrison. 

f N those warlike times of Spain every one 
lived with sword in hand ; there was 
scarcely a commanding clifF or hill-top 
but had its castle. Moors and Christians re- 
garded each other from rival towers and battle- 
ments perched on opposite heights, and were 
incessantly contending for the dominion of the 
valleys. 

We have seen that Count Fernan Gonzalez 
had regained possession of the ancient town and 
fortress of Lara, the domain of his ancestors ; but 
it will be recollected that within two leagues' 
distance stood the Moorish presidio of Carazo. It 
was perched like an eagle's nest on the summit of 
a mountain, and the cragged steepness of its posi- 
tion, and its high and thick walls seemed to render 
it proof against all assault. The Moors who gar- 
risoned it were fierce marauders, who used to 
sweep down like birds of prey from their lofty nest, 
pounce upon the flocks and dwellings of the Chris- 
tians, make hasty ravages, and bear away their 
spoils to the mountain-top. There was no living 
with safety or tranquillity within the scope of their 
maraudings. 



332 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 

Intelligence of their misdeeds was brought to 
the count at Burgos. He determined to have 
that castle of Carazo, whatever might be the cost : 
for this purpose he called a council of his chosen 
cavaliers. He did not conceal the peril of the 
enterprise, from the crag-built situation of the cas- 
tle, its great strength, and the vigilance and valor 
of its garrison. Still the Castilian cavaliers of- 
fered themselves to carry the fortress or die. 

The count sallied secretly from Burgos with a 
select force, and repaired in the night-time to Lara, 
that the Moors might have no intimation nor 
suspicion of his design. In the midst of the next 
night, the castle gate was quietly opened and they 
issued forth as silently as possible, pursuing their 
course in the deep shadows of the valley until 
they came to the foot of the mountain of Carazo. 
Here they remained in ambush, and sent forth 
scouts. As the latter prowled about the day 
began to dawn, and they heard a female voice 
singing above them on the side of the mountain. 
It was a Moorish damsel coming down, with a 
vessel upon her head. She descended to a foun- 
tain which gushed forth beneath a grove of willows, 
and as she sang she began to fill her vessel with 
water. The spies issued from their concealment, 
seized her, and carried her to Count Fernan Gon- 
zalez. 

Overcome by terror or touched by conviction, 
the Moorish damsel threw herself on her knees 
before the count, declared her wish to turn Chris- 
tian, and offered, in proof of her sincerity, to put 
him in a way of gaining possession of the castle. 



( 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ 338 

Being encouraged to proceed, she told him that 
there was to be a marriage feast that day in the 
castle, and of course a great deal of revelry, which 
would put the garrison off its guard. She pointed 
out a situation where he might lie in ambush with 
his troops in sight of the tower, and promised 
when a favorable moment presented for an attack 
to give a signal with a light. 

The count regarded her for a time with a fixed 
and earnest gaze, but saw no faltering nor change 
of countenance. The case required bold measures, 
combined with stratagem ; so he confided in her, 
and permitted her to return to the castle. All 
day he lay in ambush with his troops, each man 
his hand upon his weapon to guard against sur- 
prise. The distant sound of revelry from the 
castle, with now and then the clash of cymbals, 
the bray of trumpets, and a strain of festive music, 
showed the gayety that reigned within. Night 
came on ; lights gleamed from walls and windows, 
but none resembling the appointed signal. It was 
almost midnight, and the count began to fear the 
Moorish damsel had deceived him, when to his 
great joy he saw the signal-light gleaming fi-om 
one of the towers. 

He now sallied forth with his men, and all, on 
foot, clambered up the steep and rugged height, 
They had almost attained the foot of the towers 
when they were descried by a sentinel who cried 
with a loud voice, " The foe ! the foe ! to arms ! 
to arms ! " The count, followed by his hardy 
cavaliers, rushed forward to the gate, crying, 
" God and Saint Millan ! " The whole castle was 



834 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 

instantly in an uproar. The Moors were be- 
wildered by the sudden surprise and the confusion 
of a night assault. They fought bravely, but 
irregularly. The Christians had but one plan 
and one object. After a hard struggle and great 
bloodshed, they forced the gate and made them- 
selves masters of the castle. 

The count remained several days, fortifying the 
place and garrisoning it, that it might not fall 
again into the possession of the Moors. He be- 
stowed magnificent rewards on the Moorish damsel 
who had thus betrayed her countrymen ; she era- 
braced the Christian faith, to which she had just 
given such a signal proof of devotion, though it 
is not said whether the count had sufficient con- 
fidence in her conversion and her newly moulted 
piety to permit her to remain in the fortress she 
bad betrayed. 

Having completed his arrangements, the count 
departed on his return, and encountered on the 
road his mother Dona Nuiia Fernandez, who, ex- 
ulting in his success, had set out to visit him at 
Carazo. The mother and son had a joyful meet- 
ing, and gave the name of Contreras to the place 
of their encounter. 




CHAPTER VI. 




Death of Alfonso, King of Leon. — The Moors determined to 
strike a fresh Blow at the Count, who summons all Castile to 
his Standard. — Of his Hunt in the Forest while waiting for 
the Enemy, and of the Hermit that he met with. 

f LFONSO THE GREAT was now grow- 
ing old and infirm, and his queen and sons, 
taking advantage of his age and feeble- 
ness, endeavored by harsh treatment to compel 
him to relinquish the crown. Count Fernan Gon- 
zalez interceded between them, but in vain; and 
Alfonso was at length obliored to surrender his 
crown to his oldest son, Don Garcia. The aged 
monarch then set out upon a pilgrimage to the 
shrine of St. lago ; but, falling ill of his mortal 
malady, sent for the count to come to him to his 
death-bed at Zamora. The count hastened thither 
with all zeal and loyalty. He succeeded in effect- 
ing a reconciliation between Alfonso and his son 
Don Garcia in his dying moments, and was with 
the monarch when he quietly breathed his last. 
The death of the king gave fresh courage to the 
Moors, and they thought this a favorable moment 
to strike a blow at the rising power of the count. 
Abderahman was at this time king of Cordova 
and Miramamolin, or sovereign of the IMoors in 



336 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 

Spain. He had been enraged at the capture of 
the castle of Carazo, and the other victories of 
the count ; and now that the latter had no longer 
the King of Leon to back him, it was thought he 
might, by a vigorous effort, be completely crushed. 
Abderahman accordingly assembled at Cordova 
a great army of Moorish warriors, both those of 
Spain and Africa, and sent them, under the com- 
mand of Almanzor, to ravage the country of 
Count Fernan Gonzalez. This Almanzor was 
the most valiant Moorish general in Spain, and 
one on whom Abderahman depended as upon his 
right hand. 

On hearing of the impending danger, Count 
Fernan Gonzalez summoned all men of Castile 
capable of bearing arms to repair to his standard 
at Muiion. His force when assembled was but 
small, but composed of the bravest chivalry of 
Castile, any one knight of which he esteemed 
equal to ten Moors. One of the most eminent of 
his cavaliers was Don Gonzalo Gustios, of Lara, 
who brought seven valiant sons to the field — 
the same afterwards renowned in Spanish story 
as the seven princes of Lara. With Don Gonzalo 
came also his wife's brother, Ruy or Rodrigo 
Yelasquez, a cavalier of great prowess. 

In the mean time tiding^s continued to arrive 
of the great force of the enemy, which was said 
to cover the country with its tents. The name 
of the Moorish general, Almanzor, likewise in- 
spired great alarm. One of the count's cavaliers, 
therefore, Gonzalo Diaz, counseled him not to 
venture upon an open battle against such fearful 



CHRONICLE OF FERNAN GONZALES. 337 

odds ; but rather to make a tula, or ravaging in- 
road into the country of the Moors, by way of 
compeUing them to make a truce. 'Vho: count, 
however, rejected his advice. " As to their num- 
bers," said he, '• one lion g worth ten sheep, and 
thirty wolves could kill thirty thousand iambs. 
As to that Moor, Almanzor, be assured we shall 
vanquish him, and the greater his renown the 
greater will be the honor of the victory." 

The count now marched his little army to 
Lara, where he paused to await the movements 
of the enemy. While his troops were lying there 
he mounted his horse one day and went forth 
with a few attendants to hunt in the forests which 
bordered the river Arlanza. In the course of the 
chase he roused a monstrous boar and pursued 
it among rocks and brakes until he became sep- 
arated from his attendants. Still following the 
track of the boar, he came to the foot of a rocky 
precipice, up which the animal mounted by a 
rugged and narrow path, where the horse could 
not follow. The count alighted, tied his horse to 
an oak, and clambered up the path, assisting him- 
self at times with his boar-spear. The path led 
to a close thicket of cedars, surrounding a small 
edifice partly built of stone and partly hewn out 
of the solid rock. The boar had taken refuge 
within, and had taken his stand behind what ap- 
peared to be a mass of stone. The count was 
about to launch his javelin when he beheld a 
cross of stone standing on what he now perceived 
was an altar, and he knew that he was in a holy 
piace. Being as pious as he was brave, the good 
22 



338 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALE/,. 

count now knelt before the altar and asked pardon 
of God for the si*i he had been on the point of 
committing ; and when he had finished this 
prayer, he added another for victory over the 
foe. 

While he was yet praying, there entered a 
venerable monk, Fray Pelayo by name, who, see- 
ing him to be a Christian knight, gave him his 
benediction. He informed the count that he re- 
sided in this hermitage in company with two 
other monks — Arsenio and Silvano. The count 
marveled much how they could live there in a 
country overrun by enemies, and which had for 
a long time, and but recently, been in the power 
of the infidels. The hermit replied that in the 
service of God they were ready to endure ail 
hardships. It is true they suffered much from 
cold and hunger, being obliged to live chiefly on 
herbs and roots ; but by secret paths and tracks 
they were in communication with other hermit- 
ages scattered throughout the country, so that 
they were enabled to aid and comfort each other. 
They could also secretly sustain in the faith the 
Christians who were held in subjection by the 
Moors, and afford them places of refuge and con- 
cealment in cases of extremity. 

The count now opened his heart to the good 
hermit, revealing his name and rank, and the \ 
perils impending over him from the invasion of 
the infidel. As the day was far spent, Fray 
Pelayo prevailed upon him to pass the night in 
the hermitage, setting before him barley bread 
and such simple fare as his cell afforded. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNAN GONZALEZ. 339 

Early in the nioruing the count went forth and 
found the hermit seated beneath a tree on a rock, 
whence he could look far and wide out of the 
forest and over the surrounding country. The 
hermit then accosted him as one whose holy and 
meditative life and mortifications of the flesh had 
given to look into the future almost with the eye 
of prophecy. " Of a truth, my son," said he, 
" there are many trials and hardships in store for 
thee; but be of good cheer, thou wilt conquer 
these Moors, and wilt increase thy power and 
possessions." He now revealed to the count 
certain signs and portents which would take place 
during battle. '' When thou shalt see these," 
said he, '' be assured that Heaven is on thy side, 
and thy victory secure." The count listened 
with devout attention. " If these things do in- 
deed come to pass," said he, " I will found a 
church and convent in this place, to be dedicated 
to St. Peter, the patron saint of this hermitage ; 
and when I die my body shall be interred here." 
Receiving then the benediction of the holy friar 
he departed. 




CHAPTER VII. 

The Battle of the Ford of Cascajares. 

pHEN Count Fernan Gonzalez returned 
to his troops he found them in great 
3j alarm at his absence, fearing some evil 
bad befallen him ; but he cheered them with an 
account of his adventure and of the good fortune 
predicted by the hermit. 

It was in the month of May, on the day of 
the Holy Cross, that the Christian and Moslem ar- 
mies came in sight of each other. The Moors ad- 
vanced with a great sound of trumpets, atabals, 
and cymbals, and their mighty host extended over 
hill and valley. When they saw^ how small was 
the force of the Christians they put up derisive 
shouts, and rushed forward tq surround them. 

Don Fernan Gonzalez remained calm and un- 
moved upon a rising ground, for the hour w^as at 
hand when the sign of victory promised by the 
hermit was to take place. Near by him was a 
youthful cavalier, Pedro Gonzalez by name, 
native of La Puente de Hitero, of fiery courage 
but vainglorious temper. He was cased in shin- 
ing armor, and mounted on a beautiful horse 
impatient of spirit as himself, and incessantly 
foaming and champing on the bit and pawing the 



CHRONICLE OF FERNAN GONZALEZ, ZV 

earth. As the Moors drew near, while there 
was yet a large space between them and the 
Christians, this fiery cavalier could no longer 
contain himself, but giving reins to his steed set 
off headlong to encounter the foe ; when suddenly 
the earth opened, man and horse rushed down- 
ward into an abyss, and the earth closed as 
before. 

A cry of horror ran through the Christian 
ranks, and a panic was like to seize upon them, 
but Don Fernan Gonzalez rode in front of them, 
exclaiming, " This is the promised sign of victory. 
Let us see how Castilians defend their lord, for 
my standard shall be borne into the thickest of 
the fight." So saying, he ordered Orbita Fer- 
nandez to advance his standard ; and when his 
troops saw the silver cross glittering on high and 
borne toward the enemy, they shouted, " Castile ! 
Castile ! " and rushed forward to the fight. Im- 
mediately around the standard fought Don Gon- 
zalo Gustios and his seven sons, and he was, say 
the old chroniclers, like a lion leading his whelps 
into the fight. Wherever they fought their way, 
they might be traced by the bodies of bleeding 
and expiring infidels. Few particulars of this 
battle remain on record ; but it is said the Moors 
were as if struck with sudden fear and weakness, 
and fled in confusion. Almanzor himself escaped 
by the speed of his horse, attended by a handful 
of his cavaliers. 

In the camp of the Moors was found vast 
booty in gold and silver, and other precious 
things, with sumptuous armof and weapons. 



342 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

When the spoil was divided and the troops were 
refreshed, Don Fernan Gonzalez went with his 
cavaliers in pious procession to the hermitage of 
San Pedro. Here he gave much silver and gold 
to the worthy Fray Pelayo, to be expended in 
masses for the souls of the Christian warriors 
who had fallen in battle, and in prayers for fur- 
ther victories over the infidels ; after which he 
returned in triumph to his capital of Burgos.-^ 

1 It does not appear that Count Fernan Gonzalez kept his 
promise of founding a church and monastery on the site of 
the hermitage. The latter edifice remained to after ages. 
*' It stands," says Sandoval, " on a precipice overhanging the 
river Arlanza, insomuch that it inspires dread to look below. 
It is extremely ancient; large enough to hold a hundred per- 
sons. Within the chapel is an opening like a chasm, leading 
down to a cavern larger than the church, formed in the solid 
rock, with a small window which overlooks the river. It was 
here the Christians used to conceal themselves." 

As a corroboration of the adventure of the Count of Cas- 
tile, Sandoval assures us that in his day the oak still existed 
to which Don Fernan Gonzalez tied his horse, when he 
alighted to scramble up the hill in pursuit of the boar. The 
worthy Fray Agapida, however, needed no corroboration of 
the kind, swallowing the whole story with the ready credence 
of a pious monk. The action here recorded was known by 
the name of the battle of the Ford of Cascajares. 

Sandoval gives a different account of the fate of the her- 
mits. He sa^^s that Almanzor, in a rage at their prognos- 
tics, overthrew their chapel, and, without alighting from his 
horse, ordered the three monks to be beheaded in his pres- 
ence. "This martyrdom," he adds, "is represented in an 
ancient painting of the chapel which still exists." 




CHAPTER YIII. 

Of the Message sent by the Count tp Sancho II., King of 
Navarrej and the Reply. — Their Encounter in Battle. 

HE good Count of Castile was so in- 
spirited bj this signal victory over the 
Moors, and their great general Alman- 
zor, that he determined, now that he had a 
breathing-spell from infidel warfare, to redress 
certain grievances sustained from one of his 
Christian neighbors. This was Don Sancho IL, 
King of Navarre, surnamed Abarca, either from 
the abarcas or shepherd shoes which he had worn 
in early life, when brought up in secrecy and in- 
digence, during the overthrow of his country by 
the Moors, or from making his soldiers wear 
shoes of the kind in crossing the snowy Pyre- 
nees. It was a name by which the populace de- 
lighted to call him. 

This prince had recovered all Navarre from 
the infidels, and even subjected to his crown all 
Biscay, or Cantabria, and some territory beyond 
the Pyrenees, on the confines of France. Not 
content with these acquisitions, he had made 
occasional inroads into Castile, in consequence of 
ft contest respecting the territories of Najarra and 
Rioxa, to which he laid claim. These incursions 



344 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 

he repeated whenever he had peace or truce with 
the Moors.l 

Count Fernan Gonzalez, having now time, as 
has been observed, to attend to these matters, 
sent an ambassador to King Sancho, charged 
with a courteous but resolute message. '' 1 
come, Seiior," said the ambassador to the king, 
" by command of the Count Fernan Gonzalez of 
Castile, and this is what I am told to say. You 
have done him much wrong in times past, by 
leaguing wdth the infidels and making inroads 
into his territories while he was absent or en- 
gaged in war. If you will amend your ways in 
this respect, and remedy the past, you w^ill do 
him much pleasure ; but if you refuse, he sends 
you his defiance.'* 

King Sancho Abarca was lost in astonishment 
and indignation at receiving such a message from 
a count of Castile. '' Eeturn to the count," said 
lie, " and tell him I will amend nothing ; that I 
marvel at his insolence, and hold him for a mad- 
man for daring to defy me. Tell him he has 
listened to evil counsel, or a few trifling successes 
against the Moors have turned his brain ; but it 
will be very different when I come to seek him, 
for there is not town or tower from which I will 
not drag him forth." ^ 

The ambassador returned with this reply, nor 
did he spare the least of its scorn and bitterness. 
Upon this the count assembled his cavaliers and 

1 Sandoval. The Five Bishops. Mariana, lib. 8, c. 5, p. 
367. Cron. Gen. de Espana, part 3, c. 18, foL 53 
*^ Cron. Gen. de Espana^ ut supra. 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 345 

councilors, and represented the case. He ex- 
horted them to stand by him in seeking redress 
for this insult and injury to their country and 
their chieftain. *'We are not equal in numbers 
to the enemy, but we are valiant men, united 
and true to each other, and one hundred good 
lances, all in the hands of chosen cavaliers, all 
of one heart and mind, are worth three hundred 
placed by chance in the hands of men who have 
no common tie." The cavaliers all assured him 
they would follow and obey him as loyal sub- 
jects of a^ worthy lord, and would prove their 
fealty in the day of battle. 

A little army of staunch Castilians was soon 
assembled, the silver cross was again reared on 
high by the standard-bearer Orbita Velasquez, 
and the count advanced resolutely a day's journey 
into the kingdom of Navarre, for his maxim was 
to strike quickly and sudden. Eang Sancho 
wondered at his darinof, but hastened to meet 
him with a greatly superior force. The armies 
came in sight of each other at a place called the 
Era de Gollanda. 

The count now addressed his men. " The 
enemy," said he, " are more numerous than we ; 
they are vigorous of body and light of foot, and 
are dexterous in throwing darts. They will have 
the advantage if they attack us ; but if we at- 
tack them and close manfully, we shall get the 
field of them before they have time to hurl their 
darts and wound us. For my part, I shall make 
for the king. If I can but revenge the wrongs 
of Castile upon his person I care not how soon 1 



346 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 

As the armies drew near each other the Cas- 
tilians, true to the orders of their chieftain, put 
up the war-cry, " Castile ! Castile ! " and rushing 
forward, broke through the squadrons of Navarre. 
Then followed a fight so pitiless and deadly, says 
an old chronicler, tliat the strokes of their weap- 
ons resounded through the whole country. The 
count sought King Sancho throughout the whole 
field ; they met and recognized each other by 
their armorial bearings and devices. They 
fought with fury, until both fell from their horses 
as if dead. The Castilians cut their way through 
the mass of the enemy, and surrounded their 
fallen chief. Some raised him from the earth 
while others kept off the foe. At first they 
thought him dead, and were loud in their lamen- 
tations ; but when the blood and dust were wiped 
from his face he revived and told them not to 
heed him, for his wounds were nothing ; but to 
press on and gain the victory, for he had slain 
the King of Navarre. 

At hearing this they gave a great shout and re- 
turned to the fight ; but those of Navarre, seized 
with terror at the fall of their king, turned their 
backs and fled. 

The count then caused the body of the king to 
be taken from among the slain and to be con- 
ducted, honorably attended, to Navarre. Thus 
fell Sancho Abarca, King of Navarre, and was 
succeeded by his son Don Garcia, surnamed the 
Trembler. 



CHAPTER IX. 

How the Count of Toulouse makes a Campaign against Caa- 
tile, and how he returns in his Coffin. 




PHILE the Count Fernan Gonzalez was 
yet ill of his wounds in his capital, and 
when his soldiers had scarce laid by 
their cuirasses and hung up their shields and 
lances, there was a fresh alarm of war. The 
Count of Toulouse and Poictiers, the close friend 
and ally of King Sancho Abarca, had come from 
France with a host to his assistance, but finding 
him defeated and slain, raised his standard to 
make a campaign, in his revenge, against the 
Castilians. The Navarrese all gathered round 
him, and now an army was on foot more power- 
ful than the one which had recently been de- 
feated. 

Count Fernan Gonzalez, wounded as he was, 
summoned his troops to march against this new 
enemy ; but the war-worn Castilians, vexed at 
being thus called again to arins before they had 
time to breathe, began to murmur. " This is the 
life of the very devil,*' said they, " to go about 
day and night, without a moment's rest. This 
lord of ours is assuredly Satan hiaiself, and we 
are lesser detils in his employ, always busy en- 



348 CHRONICLE OF FERNAN GONZALEZ. 

trapping the souls of men. He has no pity for 
us, so battered and worn, nor for himself, so badly 
wounded. It is necessary that some one should 
talk with him, and turn him from this madness." 

Accordingly a hardy cavalier, Nuno Laynez, 
remonstrated with the count aaainst further fio^ht- 
ing until he should be cured of his wounds and 
his people should have time to repose ; for mor- 
tal men could not support this kind of life. 
" Nor is this urged through cowardice," added he, 
" for your men are ready to fight for and defend 
you as they would their own souls." 

^' Well have you spoken, Nuiio Laynez," re- 
plied the count ; " yet for all this I am not 
minded to defer this fight. A day lost never re- 
turns. An opportunity foregone can never be re- 
called. The warrior who indulges in repose will 
never leave the memory of great deeds behind 
him. His name dies when his soul leaves the 
body. Let us, therefore, make the most of the 
days and hours allotted us, and crown them with 
such glorious deeds that the world shall praise us 
in all ruture time." 

When Nuno Laynez repeated these generous 
w^ords to the cavaliers, the blood glowed in their 
veins, and they prepared themselves njanfully for 
the field ; nor did the count give them time to 
cool before he put himself at their head and 
marched to meet the enemy. He found them 
drawn up on the opposite side of a river which 
was swollen and troubled by recent rains. With- 
out hesitation he advanced to ford it, but his 
troops were galled by flig'hts of darts and arrows 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 349 

as they crossed, and received with lances on the 
water's edge ; the bodies of many floated down 
the turbid stream, and many perished on the 
banks. They made good their crossing, how- 
ever, and closed with the enemy. The fight 
was obstinate and the Castilians were hardly 
pressed, being so inferior in number. Don Fer- 
nan Gonzalez galloped along the front of the 
enemy. "Where is the Count of Toulouse ? " 
cried he ; " let him come forth and face me, — 
me, Fernan Gonzalez of Castile, who defy him to 
single combat ! " The count answered promptly 
to the defiance. No one from either side pre- 
sumed to interfere while the two counts encoun- 
tered, man to man and horse to horse, like honor- 
able and generous cavaliers. They rushed upon 
each other with the full speed of their horses ; 
the lance of Don Fernan pierced through all the 
armor and accoutrements of the Count of Tou- 
louse and bore him out of the saddle, and before 
he touched the earth his soul had already parted 
from his body. The men of Toulouse, seeing 
their chief fall dead, fled amain, but were pur- 
sued, and three hundred of them taken.^ 

The field being won, Count Fernan Gonzalez 
alighted and took off the armor of the Count of 
Toulouse, with his own hands, and wrapped him 
in a xemete, or Moorish mantle, of great value, 
which he had gained when he conquered Almanzor. 
He ordered a coflin to be made, and covered with 
cloth of gold, and studded with silver nails, and 
he put therein the body of the count, and deliv- 
1 Cron. Gen. de Espana. 



350 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 

ered it to the captive cavaliers, whom he released 
and furnished with money for their expenses, 
making them swear not to leave the body of the 
count until they had conducted it to Toulouse. 
So the count, who had come from France in 
such chivalrous state, at the head of an array of 
shining warriors, returned in his coffin with a 
mourning train of vanquished cavaliers, while 
Count Fernan Gonzalez conducted his victorious 
troops in triumph back to Burgos. 

This signal victory took place in the year of 
our Redemption 926, in the beginning of the 
reign of Alfonso the Monk on the throne of 
Leon and the Asturias.^ 

2 Mariana, lib. 8, c. 5, p. 367. 



^ 



CHAPTER X. 

How the Count went to receive the Hand of a Princess, and 
was thrown into a Dungeon. — Of the Stranger that visited 
him in his Chains, and of the Appeal that he made to the 
Princess for his Deliverance. 




ilARCIA II., who had succeeded to the 
throne of Navarre on the death of his 
father, was brave of soul, though sur- 
named El Terabloso, or The Trembler. He was 
so called because he was observed to tremble on 
going into battle ; but, as has been said of others, 
it was only the flesh that trembled, foreseeing the 
dangers into which the spirit would carry it. 
This king was deeply grieved at the death of 
his father, slain by Count Fernan Gonzalez, and 
would have taken vengeance by open warfare, 
but he was counseled by his mother, the Queen 
Teresa, to pursue a subtler course. At her insti- 
gation overtures were made to the count to settle 
all the feuds between Navarre and Castile by a 
firm alliance, and to this end it was proposed that 
the count should take to wife Doiia Sancha, the 
sister of King Garcia and daughter of King 
Sancho Abarca. The count accepted gladly the 
proffered alliance, for he had heard of the great 
merit and beauty of the princess, and was pleased 
with so agreeable a mode of putting an end to 



352 CHRONICLE OF FEKNAN GONZALEZ. 

all their contests. A conference was accordingly 
appointed between the count and King Garcia, 
to take place at Ciruena, each to be attended 
only by ^yq cavaliers. 

The count was faithful to his compact, and ap 
peared at the appointed place with five of the 
bravest of his cavaliers ; but the king arrived 
with five-and-thirty chosen men, all armed cap-a- 
pie. The count, suspecting treachery, retreated 
^ with his cavaliers into a neighboring hermitage, 
and, barricading the door, defended himself 
throughout the day until nightfall. Seeing there 
was no alternative, he at length capitulated and 
agreed to surrender himself a prisoner, and pay 
homage to the king, on the latter assuring him, 
under oath, that his life should be secure. King 
Garcia the Trembler, having in this wily manner 
gained possession of the count, threw him in 
irons and conducted him prisoner to Navarre, 
where he confined him in a strong castle called 
Castro Viejo. At his intercession, however, his 
five cavaliers were released, and carried back to 
Castile the doleful tidings of his captivity. 

Now it came to pass that a brave Norman 
count, who was performing a pilgrimage to St. 
lago of Compostella, heard that the Count Fer- 
nan Gonzalez, whose renown had spread far and 
wide, lay in chains in Castro Yiejo. Having a 
vehement desire to see the man of whom fame 
had spoken so loudly, he repaired to the castle, 
and bribed his way to the prison of the count. 
When he entered and beheld so noble a cavalier 
in a solitary dungeon and in chains, he was sore 



i 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 353 

at heart. The count looked up with wonder as 
this stranger stood before him in pilgrim garb 
and with sorrowful aspect, but when he learned 
his name and rank, and the object of his visit, 
he gave him the right hand of friendship. 

The pilgrim count left the castle more ena- 
mored than ever of the character of Count Fer- 
nan Gonzalez. At a festival of the court he 
beheld the Princess Sancha, who had served as a 
lure to draw the good count into the power of 
his enemies, and he found her of surpassing 
beauty, and of a gentle and loving demeanor ; so 
he determined to seek an opportunity to speak 
with her in private, for surely, thought he, in 
such a bosom must dwell the soft pity of woman- 
hood. Accordingly, one day as the princess was 
walking in the garden with her ladies, he pre- 
sented himself before her in his pilgrim's garb, 
and prayed to speak with her apart, as if on 
some holy mission. And when they were alone, 
" How is this, Princess," said he, " that you are 
doing such great wrong to Heaven, to yourself, 
and to all Christendom ? '' The princess started, 
and said, " What wrong have I done ? " Then 
replied the pilgrim count, " Behold, for thy sake 
the noblest of cavaliers, the pride of Spain, the 
flower of chivalry, the hope of Christendom, lies 
in a dungeon, fettered with galling chains. What 
lady but would be too happy to be honored with 
the love of Count Fernan Gonzalez ; and thou 
hast scorned it ! How will it tell for thy fame 
in future times, that thou wast made a snare to 
capture an honorable knight ; that the gentlest, 
23 



354 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

the bravest, the most generous of cavaliers was 
inveigled by the love of thee to be thrown into 
a dungeon? How hast thou reversed the max- 
ims of chivalry ! Beauty has ever been the 
friend of valor ; but thou hast been its foe ! 
The fair hands of lovely dames have ever be- 
stowed laurels and rewards on those gallant 
knights who sought and deserved their loves ; 
thou hast bestowed chains and a dungeon. Be- 
hold, the Moors rejoice in his captivity, while all 
Christians mourn. Thy name will be accursed 
throughout the land like that of Cava ; but 
shouldst thou have the heroism to set him free, 
thou wilt be extolled above all Spanish ladies. 
Hadst thou but seen him as I have done, — ■ 
alone, abandoned, enchained ; yet so noble, so 
courteous, so heroic in his chains, that kings upon 
their thrones might envy the majesty of his de- 
meanor. If thou couldst feel love for man, thou 
shouldst do it for this knight ; for I swear to 
thee on this cross which I bear, that never was 
there king or emperor in the world so worthy of 
woman's love." When the pilgrim count had 
thus spoken, he left the princess to meditate upon 
his words. 






CHAPTER XL 

Of the Meditations of the Princess, and their Result. — Her 
Flight from the Prison with the Count, and Perils of the 
Escape. — The Nuptials. 




I HE Princess Sancha remained for some 
time in the garden, revolving in her 
mind all that she had just heard, and 
tenderness for the Count Fernan Gonzalez began 
to awaken in her bosom ; for nothing so touches 
the heart of woman as the idea of valor suffering 
for her sake. The more the princess meditated 
the more she became enamored. She called to 
mind all she had heard of the illustrious actions 
of the count. She thought upon the pictures just 
drawn of him in prison — so noble, so majestic 
in his chains. She remembered the parting words 
of the pilgrim count — "Never was ^here king 
nor emperor so worthy of a woman's love." 
" Alas ! " cried she, " was there ever a lady more 
unfortunate than I ? All the love and devotion 
of this noble cavalier I might have had, and be- 
hold it has been made a mockery. Both he and 
myself have been wronged by the treachery of 
my brother." 

At length the passion of the princess arose to 
such a height that she determined to deliver the 
eount from the misery of which she had been made 



356 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

the instrument. So she found means one night 
to bribe the guards of his prison, and made her 
way to his dungeon. When the count saw her, 
he thought it a beautiful vision, or some angel 
sent from heaven to comfort him, for certainly her 
beauty surpassed the ordinary loveliness of woman. 

" Noble cavalier," said the princess, " this is no 
time for idle words and ceremonies. Behold be- 
fore you the Princess Dona Sancha ; the word 
which my brother brake I am here to fulfill. You 
came to receive my hand, and, instead, you were 
thrown in chains. I come to yield you that hand, 
and to deliver you from those chains. Behold, 
the door of your prison is open, and I am ready 
to fly with you to the ends of the earth. Swear 
to me one word, and when you have sworn it, I 
know your loyalty too well to doubt that you will 
hold your oath sacred. Swear that if I fly with 
you, you will treat me with the honor of a knight ; 
that you will make me your wife, and never leave 
me for any other woman." 

The count swore all this on the faith of a Chris- 
tian cavalier ; and well did he feel disposed to keep 
his oath, for never before had he beheld such 
glorious beauty. 

So the princess led the way, and her authority 
and her money had conquered the fidelity of the 
guards, so that they permitted the count to sally 
forth with her from the prison. 

It was a dark night, and they left the great 
road and climbed a mountain. The count was sc 
fettered by his chains that he moved with difficulty, 
hut the princess helped and sometimes almost 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 357 

carried him ; for what will not delicate woman 
perform when her love and pity are fully aroused. 
Thus they toiled on their way until the day 
dawned, when they hid themselves in the cliffs of 
the mountain, among rocks and thickets. While 
thus concealed they beheld an archpriest of the 
castle, mounted on a mule with a falcon on his 
fist, hawking about the lower part of the moun- 
tain. The count knew him to be a base and 
malignant man, and watched his movements with 
great anxiety. He had two hounds beating about 
the bushes, which at length got upon the traces 
of the count and princess, and discovering them, 
set up a violent barking. Alighting from his mule, 
the archpriest clambered up to where the fugitives 
were concealed. He knew the count, and saw 
that he had escaped. " Aha ! traitor," cried he, 
drawing his sword, " think not to escape from the 
power of the king." The count saw that resistance 
was in vain, for he was without weapon and in 
chains, and the archpriest was a powerful man, 
exceeding broad across the shoulders ; he sought, 
iherefore, to win him by fair words, promising 
that if he would aid him to escape he would give 
him a city in Castile, for him and his heirs for- 
ever. But the archpriest was more violent than 
ever, and held his sword at the breast of the 
count to force him back to the castle. Upon this 
the princess rushed forward, and with tears in her 
eyes implored him not to deliver the count into 
the hands of his enemies. But the heart of the 
priest was inflamed by the beauty of the princess, 
and thinking her at his mercy, " Gladly," said he, 



358 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

" will I assist the count to escape, but upon one 
condition." Then he whispered a proposal which 
brought a crimson glow of horror and indignation 
into the cheeks of the princess, and he would have 
laid his hand upon her, but he was suddenly lifted 
from the earth by the strong grasp of the count, 
who bore him to the edge of a precipice and flung 
him headlong down ; and his neck was broken in 
the fall. 

The count then took the mule of the archpriest, 
his hawk, and his hounds, and after keeping in the 
secret parts of the mountain all day, he and the 
princess mounted the mule at night, and pursued 
their way, by the most rugged and unfrequented 
passes, toward Castile. 

As the day dawned they found themselves in 
an open plain at the foot of the mountains, and 
beheld a body of horsemen riding toward them, 
conducting a car, in which sat a knight in armor, 
bearing a standard. The princess now gave all 
up for lost. " These," said she, " are sent by my 
brother in pursuit of us ; how can we escape, for 
this poor animal has no longer strength nor speed 
to bear us up the mountains ?" Upon this Count 
Fernan alighted, and drawing the sword of the 
archpriest, placed himself in a narrow pass. " Do 
you," said he to the princess, ^' turn back and 
hasten to the mountains, and dearly shall it cost 
him who attempts to follow you." " Not so," re- 
plied the princess ; " for the love of me hast thou 
been brought from thine own domain and betrayed 
into all these dangers, and I will abide to share 
ehem with thee." 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 359 

The count would have remonstrated, when to 
his astonishment he saw, as the car drew near, 
that the knight seated in it was clad in his own 
armor, with his own devices, and held his own 
banner in his hand. " Surely," said he, crossing 
himself, " this is enchantment ; " but on looking 
still nearer, he recognized among the horsemen 
Nuiio Sandias and Nuno Laynez, two of his 
most faithful knights. Then his heart leaped for 
joy. " Fear nothing," cried he to the princess ; 
" behold my standard, and behold my vassals. 
Those whom you feared as enemies shall kneel at 
your feet and kiss your hand in homage." 

Now so it appears that the tidings of the cap- 
tivity of the count had spread mourning and con- 
sternation throughout Castile, and the cavaliers 
assembled together to devise means for his deliv- 
erance. And certain of them had prepared this 
^^^Y of the count, clad in his ai-mor and bearing 
his banner and devices, and having done homage 
and sworn fealty to it as they would have done 
to the count himself, they had placed it in this car 
and set forth with it as a leader, making a vow, 
in the spirit of ancient chivalry, never to return 
to their homes until they should have delivered 
the count from his captivity. 

When the cavaliers recognized the count, they 
put up shouts of joy, and kissed his hands and the 
hands of the princess in token of devoted loyalty. 
And they took off the fetters of the count and 
placed him in the car and the princess beside 
him, and returned joyfully to Castile. 

Vain would be the attempt to describe the 



360 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

transports of the multitude as Count Fernan 
Gonzalez entered his noble capital of Burgos. 
The Princess Sancha, also, was hailed with bless- 
ings wherever she passed, as the deliverer of their 
lord and the savior of Castile, and shortly after- 
wards her nuptials with the count were cele- 
brated with feasting and rejoicing and tilts and 
tournaments, which lasted for many days. 





CHAPTER XII. 

King Garcia confined in Burgos by the Count. — The Princess 
intercedes for his Release. 

HE rejoicings for the marria^'e of Count 
Fernan Gonzalez with the beautiful 
Princess Sancha were scarcely finished 
when King Garcia the Trenibler came with a 
powerful army to revenge his various affronts. 
The count sallied forth to meet him, and a bloody 
and doubtful battle ensued. The Navarrese at 
length were routed, and the king was wounded 
and taken prisoner in single combat by Count 
Fernan, who brought him to Burgos and put him 
in close confinement. 

The Countess Dona Sancha was now almost 
as much afliicted at the captivity of her brother 
as she had been at that of the count, and inter- 
ceded with her husband for his release. The 
count, however, retained too strong a recollection 
of the bad faith of King Garcia and of his own 
treacherous and harsh imprisonment to be easily 
moved, and the king was kept in duress for a 
considerable time. The countess then interested 
the principal cavaliers in her suit, reminding them 
of the services she had rendered them in aiding 
the escape of their lord Through their united 



362 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

intercessions the count was induced to relent ; 
so King Garcia the Trembler was released and 
treated with great honor, and sent back to his do- 
minions with a retinue befitting his rank 





CHAPTER XIII. 

Of the Expedition against the ancient Citj of Sylo. — The 
unwitting Trespass of the Count into a Convent, and his 
Compunction thereupon. 

fl GLUMES would it take to follow the 
Count Fernau Gonzalez in his heroic 
achievements against the infidels, — 
achievements which give to sober history almost 
the air of fable. I forbear to dwell at large upon 
one of his campaigns, wherein he scoured the 
Valley of Laguna ; passed victoriously along the 
banks of the Douro, building towers and castles 
to keep the country in subjection ; how he scaled 
the walls of the castle of Ormaz, being the first 
to mount, sword in hand ; how by the valor of 
his arm he captured the city of Orma ; how he 
took the town of Sandoval, the origin of the cav- 
aliers of Sandoval, who were anciently called 
Salvadores ; how he made an inroad even to 
Madrid, then a strongly fortified village, and hav- 
ing taken and sacked it, returned in triumph to 
Burgos. 

But it would be wronging the memory of this 
great and good cavalier to pass in silence over 
one of his exploits in which he gave a singular 
instance of his piety. This was in an expedition 



364 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALES. 

against the ancient city of Sylo. It was not a 
place of much value in itself, being situated in a 
cold and sterile country, but it had become a 
stronghold of the Moors, whence they carried on 
their warfare. This place the count carried by 
assault, entering it in full armor, on his steed, 
overturning and slaying all who opposed him. 
In the fury of his career he rode into a spacious 
edifice which he supposed to be a mosque, with 
the pious intention of slaying every infidel he 
might find within. On looking round, however, 
great was his astonishment at beholding images 
of saints, the blessed cross of our Saviour, and 
various other sacred objects, which announced a 
church devoted to the veritable faith. Struck 
with remorse, he sprang from his horse, threw 
himself upon his knees, and with many tears im- 
plored pardon of God for the sin he had unknow- 
ingly committed. While he was yet on his 
knees, several monks of the order of St. Domi- 
nic approached, meagre in looks and squalid in at- 
tire, but hailing him with great joy as their 
deliverer. In sooth this was a convent of San 
Sebastian, the fraternity of which had remained 
captives among the Moors, supporting themselves 
poorly by making baskets, but permitted to con- 
tinue in the exercise of their religion. 

Still filled with pious compunction for the tres* 
pass he had made, the count ordered that the vshoes 
should be taken from his horse and nailed upon 
the door of the church ; for never, said he, shall 
'ihey tread any other ground after having trodden 
this holy place. From that day, we are told, it 



CHRONICLE OF FERNAN GONZALEZ. 365 

has been the custom to nail the shoes of horses on 
the portal of that convent — a custom which has 
extended to many other places. 

The worthy Fray Prudencia de Sandoval re- 
cords a marvelous memento of the expedition of 
the count against this city, which remained, he. 
says, until his day. Not far from the place, on the 
road which passes by Lara, is to be seen the print 
of his horse's hoofs in a solid rock, which has re- 
ceived the impression as though it had been made 
in softened wax. ^ It is to be presumed that the 
horse's hoofs had been gifted with miraculous hard- 
ness in reward to the count for his pious oblation 
of the shoes. 

1 Sandoval, p. 313 




CHAPTER XIV. 

Of the Moorish Host that came up from Cordova, and how 
the Count repaired to the Hermitage of San Pedro, and 
prayed for Success against them, and received Assurance 
of Victory in a Vision. — Battle of Hazinas' 




HE worthy Fray Antonio Agapida, from 
whose manuscripts this memoir is ex- 
tracted, passes by many of the striking 
and heroic deeds of the count, which crowd the 
pages of ancient chroniclers ; but the good friar 
ever is sure to dwell with delight upon any of 
those miraculous occurrences which took place 
in Spain in those days, and which showed the 
marked interposition of Heaven in behalf of the 
Christian warriors in their battles with the infidels. 
Such was the renowned battle of Hazinas, which, 
says Agapida, for its miraculous events is worthy 
of eternal blazon. 

Now so it was that the Moorish king of Cor- 
dova had summoned all the faithful, both of Spain 
and Africa, to assist him in recovering the lands 
wrested from him by the unbelievers, and espe- 
cially by Count Fernan Gonzalez in his late vic- 
tories; and such countless legions of turbaned 
warriors were assembled that it was said they 
covered the plains of Andalusia like swarms of 
locustg. 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALES, 367 

Hearing of their threatening approach, the count 
gathered together his forces at Piedrafita, while 
the Moors encamped in Hazinas. When, however, 
he beheld the mighty host arrayed against him, 
his heart for once was troubled with evil forebod- 
ings, and calling to mind the cheering prognos- 
tications of the friar Pelayo on a like occasion, he 
resolved to repair again to that holy man for coun- 
sel. Leaving his camp, therefore, secretly, he set 
out, accompanied by two cavaliers, to seek the 
chapel which he had ordered to be built at the 
hermitage of San Pedro, on the mountain over- 
hanging the river Arlanza, but when arrived there 
he heard to his great grief that the worthy friar 
was dead. 

Entering the chapel, however, he knelt down 
at the altar and prayed for success in the coming 
fight ; humbly representing that he had never, 
like many of the kings and nobles of Spain, done 
homage to the infidels and acknowledged them 
for sovereigns. The count remained a long time 
at prayer, until sleep gradually stole over him ; 
and as he lay slumbering before the altar the holy 
Fray Pelayo appeared before him in a vision, 
clad in garments as white as snow. " Why sleep- 
est thou, Fernan Gonzalez ? " said he ; " arise, 
and go forth, and know that thou shalt conquer 
those Moors. For, inasmuch as thou art a faith- 
ful vassal of the Most High, he has commanded 
the Apostle San lago and myself, with many an- 
gels, to come to thy aid, and we will appear in 
the battle clad in white armor, with each of us a 
red cross upon our pennon. Therefore arise, I 
say, and go herce with a valiant heart." 



368 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

The count awoke, and while he was yet mus- 
ing upon the vision he heard a voice saying, 
" Arise, and get thee hence ; why dost thou lin- 
ger ? Separate thy host into three divisions : enter 
the field of battle by the east, with the smallest 
division, and I will be with thee ; and let the sec- 
ond division enter by the west, and that shall be 
aided by San lago ; and let the third division en- 
ter by the north. Know that I am San Millan 
who come to thee with this message." 

The count departed joyfully from the chapel, 
and returned to his army; and when he told his 
troops of this, his second visit to the hermitage, 
and of the vision he had had, and how the holy 
friar San Pelayo had again assured him of vic- 
tory, their hearts were lifted up, and they re- 
joiced to serve under a leader who had such 
excellent counselors in war. 

In the evening preceding the battle Don Fer- 
nan Gonzalez divided his forces as he had been 
ordered. The first division was composed of 
two hundred horsemen and six thousand infantry ; 
hardy mountaineers, light of foot and of great 
valor. In the advance were Don Gustios Gon- 
zalez of Salas, and his seven sons and two 
nephews, and his brother Ruy Velasquez, and a 
valiant cavalier named Gonzalo Dias. 

The second division was led by Don Lope de 
Biscaya, with the people of Burueba and Tre- 
vino, and Old Castile and Castro and the Astu- 
rias. Two hundred horsemen and six thousand 
infantry. 

The third division was led by the count him- 



CERQNICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 369 

self, and with him went Ruy Cavia, and Nuno 
Cavia and the Yelascos, whom the count that 
day dubbed knights, and twenty esquires of the 
count, whom he had likewise knighted. Hi? 
division consisted of four hundred and fifty horse 
and fifteen hundred foot ; and he told his men 
that if they should not conquer the Moors on 
the following day, they should draw off from the 
battle when he gave the word. Late at night, 
when all the camp, excepting the sentinels and 
guards, were buried in sleep, a light suddenly 
illumined the heavens, and a great serpent was 
seen in the air, wounded and covered witli blood, 
and vomiting flames, and making a loud hissing 
that awakened all the soldiers. They rushed 
out of their tents, and ran hither and thither, 
running against each other in their affright. 
Count Fernan Gonzalez was awakened by their 
outcries, but before he came forth the serpent 
had disappeared. He rebuked the terrors of his 
people, representing to them that the Moors were 
great necromancers, and by their arts could raise 
devils to their aid ; and that some Moorish 
astrologer had doubtless raised this spectrum to 
alarm them ; but he bade them be of good heart, 
since they had San lago on their side, and might 
set Moor, astrologer, and devil at defiance. 

In the first day's fight Don Fernan fought 
hand to hand with a powerful Moor, who had 
desired to try his prowess with him. It was an 
obstinate contest, in which the Moor was slain ; 
but the count so badly wounded that he fell to 
24 



370 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. ' 

the earth, and had not his men surrounded and 
defended him, he would have been slain or cap- 
tured. The battle lasted all day long, and Gus- 
tios Gonzalez and his kindred warriors showed 
prodigies of valor. Don Fernan, having had his 
wounds stanched, remounted his horse and gal- 
loped about, giving courage to his men ; but he 
was covered with dust and blood, and so hoarse 
that he could no longer be heard. Tlie sun 
went down, the Moors kept on fighting, confiding 
in their great numbers. The count, seeing the 
night approaching, ordered the trumpets to be 
sounded, and, collecting his troops, made one gen- 
eral charge on the Moors, and drove them from 
the field. He then drew off his men to their 
tents, where the weary troops found refreshment 
and repose, though they slept all night upon their 
arms. 

On the second day the count rose before the 
dawn, and having attended mass like a good 
Christian, attended next to his horses, like a good 
cavalier, seeing with his own eyes that they were 
well fed and groomed, and prepared for the field. 
The battle this day was obstinate as the day be- 
fore, with great valor and loss on either side. 

On the third day the count led forth his forces 
at an early hour, raising his silver standard of 
the cross, and praying devoutly for aid. Then 
lowering their Hnces, the Castilians shouted San 
lago ! San lago ! and rushed to the attack. 

Don Gustios Gonzalo de Salas, the leader of 
one of the divisions, made a lane into the centre 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 371 

\>^ the Moorish host, dealing death on either side. 
He was met by a Moorish cavalier of powerful 
frame. Covering themselves with their shields, 
they attacked each other with great fury ; but 
the days of Gustios Gonzalo were numbered, 
and the Moor slew him, and with him fell a 
nephew of Count Fernan, and many of his prin- 
cipal cavaliers. 

Count Fernan Gonzalez encountered the Moor 
who had just slain his friend. The inlidel would 
have avoided him, having heard that never man 
escaped alive from a conflict with him ; but the 
count gave him a furious thrust with his lance, 
which stretched him dead upon the field. 

The Moors, however, continued to press the 
count sorely, and their numbers threatened to 
overwhelm him. Then he put up a prayer for 
the aid promised in his vision, and of a sudden 
the Apostle San lago appeared, with a great and 
shining company of angels in white, bearing the 
device of a red cross, and all rushing upon the 
Moors. The Moors were dismayed at the sight 
of this reinforcement to the enemy. The Chris- 
tians, on the other hand, recovered their forces, 
knowing the Apostle San lago to be at hand. 
They charged the Moors with new vigor, and 
put them to flight, and pursued them for two 
days, killing and making captive. They then 
returned and gathered together the bodies of the 
Christians who had been slain, and buried them 
in the chapel of San Pedro of Arlanza and in 
other hermitages. The bodies of the Moors 
were piled up and covered with earth, forming a 



872 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 

mound which is still to be seen on the field of 
battle. 

Some have ascribed to the signal worn in this 
battle by the celestial warriors the origin of the 
Cross of Calatrava. 




CHAPTER XV. 

The Count imprisoned by the King of Leon. — The Countess 
concerts his Escape. — Leon and Castile united by the Mar- 
riage of the Prince Ordoiio with Urraca, the Daughter of the 
Count by his first Wife. 

|0T long after this most renowned and 
marvelous battle, a Moorish captain 
M^^\ named Aceyfa became a vassal of the 
Count Don Fernan. Under his protection, and 
that of a rich and powerful Castilian cavalier 
named Diego Mufion, he rebuilt Salamanca and 
Ledesma, and several places on the river Tor- 
mes, which had been desolated and deserted in 
times past. 

Ramiro the Second, who was at this time King 
of Leon, was alarmed at seeing a strong line of 
Moorish fortresses erected along the borders of 
his territories, and took the field with an army to 
drive the Moor Aceyfa from the land. The 
proud spirit of Count Fernan Gonzalez was 
aroused at this attack upon his Moorish vassal, 
which he considered an indignity offered to him- 
self; so being seconded by Don Diego Munon, he 
marched forth with his chivalry to protect the 
Moor. In the present instance he had trusted to 
his own head, and had neglected to seek advice of 
saint or hermit ; so his army was defeated by 



^ 



874 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

King Ramiro, and himself and Don Diego Muiion 
taken prisoner. The latter was sent in chains to 
the castle of Gordon ; but the count was carried 
to Leon, where he was confined in a tower of the 
wall, which to this day is pointed out as his 
prison.^ 

All Castile was thrown into grief and conster- 
nation by this event, and lamentations were heard 
throughout the land, as though the count had 
been dead. The countess, however, did not 
waste time in idle tears, for she was a lady of 
most valiant spirit. She forthwith assembled 
five hundred cavaliers, chosen men of tried loy- 
alty and devotion to the count. They met in the 
chapel of the palace, and took an oath upon the 
Holy Evangelists to follow the countess through 
all difficulties and dangers, and to obey implicitly 
all her commands for the rescue of their lord. 
With this band the couutess departed secretly at 
nightfall, and travelled rapidly until morning, 
when they left the roads, and took to the moun- 
tains, lest their march should be discovered. Ar- 
rived near to Leon, she halted her band in a 
thick wood in the mountain of Samosa where she 
ordered them to remain in secrecy. Then cloth- 
ing herself as a pilgrim with her staff and pan- 
nier, she sent word to King Ramiro that she was 
on a pilgrimage to San lago, and entreated that 

1 In the Cronica General de Espana^ this imprisonment is 
said to have been by King Sancho the Fat; bat the cautious 
Agapida goes according to his favorite Sandoval in attrib- 
uting it to King Ramiro, and in so doing he is supported by 
the Chronicle of Bleda, L. 3, c. 19. 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 375 

Bhe might have permission to visit her husband 
in his prison. King Ramiro not merely granted 
her request, but sallied forth above a league from 
the city with a great retinue to do her honor. So 
the countess entered a second time the prison 
where the count lay in chains, and stood before 
him as his protecting angel. At sight of him in 
this miserable and dishonored state, however, the 
valor of spirit which had hitherto sustained her 
gave way, and tears flowed from her eyes. The 
count received her joyfully, and reproached her 
with her tears ; " for it becomes us," said he, " to 
submit to what is imposed upon us by God." 

The countess now sent to entreat the king that 
while she remained with the count his chains 
should be taken off. The king again granted 
her request ; and the count was freed from his 
irons and an excellent bed prepared in his 
prison. 

The countess remained with him all night and 
concerted his escape. Before it was daylight she 
gave him her pilgrim's dress and staff, and the 
count went forth from the chamber disguised as 
his wife. The porter at the outer portal, think- 
ing it to be the countess, would have w^aited for 
orders from the king ; but the count, in a feigned 
voice, entreated not to be detained, lest he should 
not be able to perform his pilgrimage. The por- 
ter, mistrusting no deceit, opened the door. The 
count issued forth, repaired to a place pointed 
out by the countess, where the two cavaliers 
awaited him with a fleet horse. They all sallied 
quietly forth from the ?ity at the opening of the 



876 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

gates, until they found themselves clear of the 
walls, when they put spurs to their horses and 
made their way to the mountain of Samosa. 
Here the count was received with shouts of joy 
by the cavaliers whom the countess had left 
there in concealment. 

As the day advanced the keeper of the prison 
entered the apartment of Don Fernan, but was 
astonished to find there the beautiful countess in 
place of her warrior husband. He conducted 
her before the king, accusing her of the fraud by 
which she had effected the escape of the count. 
King Ramiro was greatly incensed, and he de- 
manded of the countess how she dared to do such 
an act. " I dared,'' replied she, " because I saw my 
husband in misery, and felt it my duty to relieve 
him ; and I dared because I was the daughter of 
a king, and the wife of a distinguished cavalier ; 
as such I trust to your chivalry to treat me." 

The king was charmed with her intrepidity. 
" Senora," said he, " you have acted well and like 
a noble lady, and it will redound to your laud 
and honor." So he commanded that she should 
be conducted to her husband in a manner befit- 
ting a lady of high and noble rank ; and the 
count was overjoyed to receive her in safety, and 
they returned to their dominions and entered 
Burgos at the head of their train of cavaliers, 
amidst the transports and acclamations of their 
people. And King Ramiro sought the amity of 
Count Fernan Gonzalez, and proposed that they 
should unite their houses by some matrimonial 
alliance which should serve as a bond of mutual 



CHRONICLE OF FLRNAN GONZALEZ, 377 

security. The count gladly listened to his pro- 
posals. He had a fair daughter named Urraca, 
by his first wife, who was now arrived at a mar- 
riageable age ; so it was agreed that nuptials 
should be solemnized between her and the Prince 
Ordona, son of King Ramiro ; and all Leon and 
Castile rejoiced at this union, which promised 
tranquillity to the land. 




CHAPTER XVI. 

Moorish Incursion into Castile. — Battle of San Estevan. — 
Of Pascual Vivas and the Miracle that Befell him. —Death 
of Ordoiio III. 




jjOR several succeeding years of the career 
of this most redoubtable cavalier, the 
most edifying and praiseworthy traces 
which remain, says Fray Antonio Agapida, are 
to be found in the archives of various monasteries, 
consisting of memorials of pious gifts and endow- 
ments made by himself and his countess, 'Dona 
Sancha. 

In the process of time King Ramiro died, and 
was succeeded by his son Ordoiio III., the same 
who had married Urraca, the daughter of Count 
Fernan. He was surnamed the Fierce, either 
from his savage temper or savage aspect. He 
Lai a step-brother named Don Sancho, nephew, 
by the mother's side, of King Garcia of Navarre, 
surnamed the Trembler. This Don Sancho rose 
in arms against Ordono at the very outset of his 
reign, seeking to deprive him of his crown. He 
applied for assistance to his uncle Garcia and to 
Count Fernan Gonzalez, and it is said both favored 
his pretensions. Nay, the count soon appeared 
in the field in company with King Garcia the 
Trembler, in support of Prince Sancho. It may 



i 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 379 

seem strange that he should take up arms against 
his own son-in-law ; and so it certainly appeared 
*to Ordono III., for he was so incensed against the 
count that he repudiated his wife Urraca and sent 
her back to her father, telling him that since he 
would not acknowledcfe him as kino:, he should 
not have him for son-in-law. 

The kingdom now became a prey to civil wars ; 
the restless part of the subjects of King Ordono 
rose in rebellion, and everything was in confusion. 
King Ordoiio succeeded, however, in quelling the 
rebellion, and defended himself so ably against 
King Garcia and Count Fern an Gonzalez, that 
they returned home without effecting their object. 

About this time, say the records of Compostello, 
the sinful dissensions of the Christians brouglit 
on them a visible and awful scourge from Heaven. 
A great flame, or, as it were, a cloud of fire, 
passed throughout the land, burning towns, de- 
stroying men and beasts, and spreading horror and 
devastation even over the sea. It passed over 
Zamora, consuming a great part of the place; it 
scorched Castro Xerez likewise, and Brebiesco and 
Pan Corvo in its progress, and in Burgos one 
hundred houses were consumed. 

" These," says the worthy Agapida, " were fiery 
tokens of the displeasure of Heaven at the sinful 
conduct of the Christians in warring upon each 
other, instead of joining their arms like brethren 
in the righteous endeavor to extirpate the vile 
sect of Mahomet." 

While the Christians were thus fighting among 
themselves, the M3ors, taking advantage of their 



380 CHRONICLE or FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

discord, came with a great army, and made an in- 
cursion into Castile as far as Burgos. King Or- 
dono and Count Fernan Gonzalez, alarmed at the 
common danger, came to a reconciliation, and took 
arms together against the Moors ; though it does 
not appear that the king received again his re- 
pudiated wife Urraca. These confederate princes 
gave the Moors a great battle near to San Estevan. 
" This battle," says Fray Antonio Agapida, " is 
chiefly memorable for a miracle which occurred 
there," and which is recorded by the good friar 
with an unction and perfect credence worthy of a 
monkish chronicler. 

The Christians were incastellated at San Este- 
van de Gormaz, which is near the banks of the 
Douro. The Moors had possession of the fortress 
of Gormaz, about a league further up the river on 
a lofty and rocky height. 

The battle commenced at the dawn of day. 
Count Fernan Gonzalez, however, before taking 
the field, repaired with his principal cavaliers to 
the church, to attend the first morning's mass. 
Now, at this time, there was in the servjce of the 
count a brave cavalier named Pascual Yivas, who 
was as pious as he was brave, and would pray 
with as much fervor and obstinacy as he would 
fight. This cavalier made it a religious rule with 
himself, or rather had made a solemn vow, that, 
whenever he entered a church in the morning, he 
would on no account leave it until all the masses 
were finished. 

On the present occasion the firmness of this 
brave but pious cavalier was put to a severe proof. 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 381 

When the first mass was finished, the count and 
his cavaliers rose and sallied from the church in 
clanking armor, and soon after the sound of trum- 
pet and quick tramp of steed told that they were 
off to the encounter. Pascual Vivas, however, 
remained kneeling all in armor before the altar, 
waiting, according to custom, until all the masses 
should be finished. The masses that morning 
were numerous, and hour after hour passed away ; 
yet still the cavalier remained kneeling all in 
armor, with weapon in hand, yet so zealous in his 
devotion that he never turned his head. 

All this while the esquire of the cavalier was 
at the door of the church, holding his war-horse, 
and the esquire beheld with surprise the count 
and his warriors depart, while his lord remained 
in the chapel ; and, from the height on which the 
chapel stood, he could see the Christian host en- 
counter the Moors at the ford of the river, and 
could hear the distant sound of trumpets and din 
of battle ; and at the sound the war-horse pricked 
his ears and snuffed the air and pawed the earth, 
and showed all the eagerness of a noble steed to 
be among the armed men, but still Pascual Vivas 
came not out of the chapel. The esquire was 
wroth, and blushed for his lord, for he thought it 
was through cowardice and not piety that he re- 
mained in the chapel w^hile his comrades were 
fi^htinor in the field. 

At length the masses were finished, and Pascual 
Vivas was about to sally forth when horsemen 
came riding up the hill with shouts of victory, for 
the battle was over and the Moors completely 
vanquished. 



382 CHRONICLE OF FERNAlSi (JONZALEZ, 

When Pascual Vivas heard this he was so 
troubled in mind that he dared not leave the 
chapel nor come into the presence of the count, 
for he said to himself, " Surely I shall be looked 
upon as a recreant knight, who have hidden my- 
self in the hour of danger." Shortly, however, 
came some of his fellow-cavaliers, summoning him 
to the presence of the count ; and as he went with 
a beating heart, they lauded him for the valor he 
had displayed and the great services he had 
rendered, saying that to the prowess of his arm 
they owed the victory. The good knight, imagin- 
ing they were scoffing at him, felt still more cast 
down in spirit, and entered the presence of the 
count covered with confusion. Here again he 
was received with praises and caresses, at which 
be was greatly astonished, but still thought it all 
done in mockery. When the truth came to be 
known, however, all present were filled with 
w^onder, for it appeared as if this cavalier had 
been, at the same moment, in the chapel and in 
the field ; for while he remained on his knees be- 
fore the altar, with his steed pawing the earth at 
the door, a warrior exactly resembling him, with 
the same arms, device, and steed, had appeared in 
the hottest of the fight, penetrating and over- 
throwing whole squadrons of Moors ; that he had 
cut his way to the standard of the enemy, killed 
the standard-bearer, and carried off the banner in 
triumph ; that his pour-point and coat of mail 
were cut to pieces, and his horse covered with 
wounds ; yet still he fought on, and through his 
valor chiefly the victory was obtained. 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 383 

What more moved astonishment was that for 
every wound received by the warrior and his 
steed in the field, there appeared marks on the 
pourpoint and coat of mail and upon the steed of 
Pascual Yivas, so that he had the semblance of 
having been in the severest press of the battle. 

The matter was now readily explained by the 
worthy friars who followed the armies in those 
days, and who were skillful in expounding the 
miracles daily occurring in those holy wars. A 
miraculous intervention had been vouchsafed to 
Pascual Vivas. That his piety in remaining at 
his prayers might not put him to shame before 
sinful men, an angel bearing his form and sem- 
blance had taken his place in battle, and fought 
while he prayed. 

The matter being thus explained, all present 
were filled with pious admiration, and Pascual 
Vivas, if he ceased to be extolled as a warrior, 
came near being canonized as a saint.^ 

King Ordono III. did not long survive this 
battle. Scarce had he arrived at Zamora on his 

1 Exactly the same kind of miracle is recorded as happening 
in the same place to a cavalier of the name of Don Fernan 
Antolenez, m the service of the Count Garcia Fernandez. 
Fray Antonio Agapida has no doubt that the same miracle 
did actually happen to both cavaliers; " for in those days," 
says he, " there was such a demand for miracles that the same 
had frequently to be repeated;" witness the repeated ap- 
pearance of Santiago in precisely the same manner, to save 
Christian armies from imminent danger of defeat, and 
achieve wonderful victories over the infidels, as we find re- 
corded throughout the Spanish chronicles. 



384 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

way homeward, when he was seized with a mor- 
tal malady of which he died. He w^as suc- 
ceeded by his brother Don Sancho, the same who 
had formerly endeavored to dispossess him of 
his throne. 




CHAPTER XVII. 

King Sancho the Fat. — Of the Homage he exacted Tom 
Count Feraan Gonzalez, and of the strange Bargain that 
he made with him for the purchase of his Horse and Fal- 




PING SANCHO L, on ascending the 
throne, held a cortes at Leon, where all 
the great men of the kingdom and the 
princes who owed allegiance to him were expected 
to attend and pay homage. As the court of 
Leon was excessively tenacious of its claim to 
sovereignty over Castile, the absence of Count 
Fernan Gonzalez was noticed with great dis- 
pleasure by the king, who sent missives to him 
commanding his attendance. The count being 
proud of heart, and standing much upon the in- 
dependence of Castile, was unwilling to kiss the 
hand of any one in token of vassalage. He was 
at length induced to stifle his repugnance and re- 
pair to the court, but he went in almost regal 
style and with a splendid retinue, more like a 
sovereign making a progress through his do- 
minions. 

As he approached the city of Leon, King 
Sancho came forth in great state to receive him, 
and they met apparently as friends, but there was 
enmity against each other in their hearts. 
25 



886 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

The rich and gallant array with which Count 
Fernan made his entry in Leon was the theme of 
every tongue ; but nothing attracted more notice 
than a falcon, thoroughly trained, which he car- 
ried on his hand, and an Arabian horse of won- 
derful beauty, which he had gained in his wars 
with the Moors. King Sancho was seized with 
a vehement desire to possess this horse and fal- 
con, and offered to purchase them of the count. 
Don Fernan haughtily declined to enter into 
traffic ; but offered them to the monarch as a gift. 
The king was equally punctilious in refusing to 
accept a favor ; but as monarchs do not easily 
forego anything on which they have set their 
hearts, it became evident to Count Fernan that 
it was necessary, for the sake of peace, to part 
with his horse and falcon. To save his dignity, 
however, he asked a price corresponding to his 
rank; for it was beneath a cavalier, he said, to 
sell his things cheap, like a mean man. He de- 
manded, therefore, one thousand marks of silver 
for the horse and falcon, — to be paid on a stip- 
ulated day ; if not paid on that day the price to 
be doubled on the next, and on each day's fur- 
ther delay the price should in like manner be 
doubled. To these terms the king gladly con- 
sented, and the terms were specified in a written 
agreement, which was duly signed and wit- 
nessed. The king thus gained the horse and fal 
con, but it will be hereinafter shown that this in- 
dulgence of his fancy cost him dear. 

This eager desire for an Arabian steed ap-« 
pears the more singular in Sancho the First, from 



CHRONICLE OF FERNAN GONZALEZ, 387 

his being so corpulent that he could not sit oc 
horseback. Hence he is commonly known in 
history by the appellation of King Sancho the Fat. 
His unwieldy bulk, also, may be one reason why 
he soon lost the favor of his warrior subjects, 
who looked upon him as a mere trencherman and 
bed-presser, and not fitted to command men who 
lived in the saddle, and had rather fight than 
either eat or sleep. 

King Sancho saw that he might soon have 
hard fiohtin^ to maintain his throne ; and how 
could he figure as a warrior who could not mount 
on horseback. In his anxiety he repaired to 
his uncle Garcia, king of Navarre, surnamed the 
Trembler, who was an exceeding meagre man, 
and asked counsel of him what he should do to 
cure himself of this troublesome corpulency 
Garcia the Trembler was totally at a loss for a 
recipe, his own leanness being a gift of Nature ; 
he advised him, however, to repair to Abderah- 
man, the Miramamolin of Spain and King of 
Cordova, with whom he was happily at peace, 
and consult with him, and seek advice of the 
Arabian physicians resident at Cordova — the 
Moors being generally a spare and active people, 
and the Arabian physicians skillful above all others 
in the treatment of diseases. 

King Sancho the Fat, therefore, sent amicable 
messages beforehand to the Moorish miramamo- 
lin, and followed them as fast as his corpulency 
would permit ; and he was well received by the 
Moorish sovereign, and remained for a long time 



B88 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

at Cordova, diligently employed m decreasing hia 
rotundity. 

While the corpulent king was thus growing 
leaner, discontent brokb out among bis subjects 
at home ; and, Count Fernan Gonzalez taking 
advantage of it, stirred up an insurrection, and 
placed upon the throne of Leon Ordono the 
Fourth, surnamed the Bad, who was a kinsman 
of the late King Ordono III., and he moreover 
gave him his daughter for wife — his daughter 
Urraca, the repudiated wife of the late king. 

If the good Count Fernan Gonzalez supposed 
he had fortified himself by this alliance, and that 
his daughter was now fixed for the second time, 
and more firmly than ever, on the throne of 
Leon, he was grievously deceived ; for Sancho 
I. returned from Cordova at the head of a pow- 
erful host of Moors, and was no longer to be 
called the Fat, for he had so well succeeded 
under the regimen prescribed by the miramamo- 
lin and bis Arabian physicians, that he could 
vault into the saddle with merely putting his 
hand upon the pommel. 

Or'dono IV. was a man of puny heart ; no 
sooner did he hear of the approach of King 
Sancho, and of his marvelous leanness and agil- 
ity, than he was seized with terror, and, abandon- 
ing his throne and his twice-repudiated spouse 
Urraca, he made for the mountains of Asturias^ 
or, as others assert, was overtaken by the Moora 
and killed with lances. 




CHAPTER XVIIL 

Further of the Horse and Falcon. 

ilNG SANCHO L, having reestablished 
himself on the throne, and recovered 
the good-will of his subjects by his 
[eanness and horsemanship, sent a stern message 
to Count Fernan Gonzalez to come to his cortes, 
or resign his countship. The count was exceed- 
ingly indignant at this order, and feared, more- 
over, that some indignity or injury would be 
offered him should he repair to Leon. He made 
the message known to his principal cavaliers, and 
requested their advice. Most of them were of 
opinion that he should not go to the cortes. Don 
Fernan declared, however, that he would not act 
disloyally in omitting to do that which the counts 
of Castile had always performed, although he 
felt that he incurred the risk of death or im- 
prisonment. Leaving his son, Garcia Fernan- 
dez, therefore, in charge of his councilors, he 
departed for Leon with only seven cavaliers. 

As he approached the gates of that city, no 
one came forth to greet him, as had always been 
the custom. This he considered an evil sign 
Pre?enting himself before the king, he would 
have kissed hi? hand, but the monarch withheld 



390 CHRONICLE OF FLRNAN GONZALEZ, 

it. He charged the count with being vainglo 
rious and disloyal ; with having absented h~!niself 
from the cortes and conspired against his throne ; 
— for all which he should make atonement, and 
should give hostages or pledges for his good faith 
before he left the court. 

The count in reply accounted for absenting 
himself from the cortes by the perfidious treat- 
ment he had formerly experienced at Leon. As 
to any grievances the king might have to com- 
plain of, he stood ready to redress them, provided 
the king would make good his own written en- 
gagement, signed with his own hand and sealed 
with his own seal, to pay for the horse and fal- 
con which he had purchased of the count on his 
former visit to Leon. Three years had now 
elapsed since the day appointed for the payment, 
and in the mean time the price had gone on daily 
doubling, according to stipulation. 

They parted mutually indignant ; and, after 
the count had retired to his quarters, the king, 
piqued to maintain his royal word, summoned his 
major-domo, and ordered him to take a large 
amount of treasure and carry it to the Count of 
Castile in payment of his demand. So the 
major-domo repaired to the count with a great 
sack of money to settle with him for the horse 
and hawk ; but when he came to cast up the ac- 
count, and double it each day that had intervened 
since the appointed day of payment, the major- 
domo, though an expert man at figures, was 
totally confounded, and, returning to the king, 
assured him that all the money in the world 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 391 

would not suffice to pay the debt. King Sancho 
was totally at a loss how to keep his word, and 
pay off a debt which was more than enough to 
ruin him. Grievously did he repent his first 
experience in traffic, and found that it is not safe 
even for a monarch to trade in horses. 

In the mean time the count was suffered to 
return to Castile ; but he did not let the matter 
rest here ; for, being sorely incensed at the in- 
dignities he had experienced, he sent missives to 
King Sancho, urging his demand of payment for 
the horse or falcon — menacing otherwise to 
make seizures by way of indemnification. Re- 
ceiving no satisfactory reply, he made a foray 
into the kingdom of Leon, and brought off great 
spoil of sheep and cattle. 

King Sancho now saw that the count was too 
bold and urgent a creditor to be trifled with. In 
his perplexity he assembled the estates of his king- 
dom, and consulted them upon this momentous 
affair. His counselors, like himself, were griev- 
ously perplexed between the sanctity of the royal 
word and the enormity of the debt. After much 
deliberation they suggested a compromise — the 
Count Fernan Gonzalez to relinquish the debt, 
and in lieu thereof to be released from his vassal- 
age. 

The count agreed right gladly to this compro- 
mise, being thus relieved from all tribute and impo- 
sition, and from the necessity of kissing the hand 
of any man in the world as his sovereign. Thus 
did King Sancho pay with the sovereignty of 



392 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 

Castile for a horse and falcon, and thus were the 
Castilians relieved, by a skillful bargain in horse- 
dealing, from all subjection to the kingdom of 



■^^eon. 



1 Cromca de Alonzo el Sabio, pt. 3 c. 19. 





CHAPTER XIX. 

The Last Campaign of Count Fernan. — His Death. 

I HE good Count Fernan Gonzalez was 
now well stricken in years. The fire 
of youth was extinct, the pride and am- 
bition of manhood were over ; instead of erecting 
palaces and lofty castles, he began now to turn 
his thoughts upon the grave and to build his last 
earthly habitation, the sepulchre. 

Before erecting his own, he had one built of 
rich and stately workmanship for his first wife, 
the object of his early love, and had her remains 
conveyed to it and interred with great solemnity. 
His own sepulchre, according to ancient promise, 
was prepared at the chapel and hermitage of San 
Pedro at Arlanza, where he had first communed 
with the holy Friar Pelayo. When it was com- 
pleted, he merely inscribed upon it the word 
*' Obijt," leaving the rest to be supplied by others 
after his death. 

When the Moors perceived that Count Fernan 
Gonzalez, once so redoubtable in arms, was old 
and infirm, and given to build tombs instead of 
castles, they thought it a favorable time to make 
an inroad into Castile. They passed the border. 



394 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

therefore, in great numbers, laying everything 
waste and bearding the old lion in his very den. 

The veteran had laid by sword and buckler, 
and had almost given up the world ; but the sound 
of Moorish drum and trumpet called him back 
even from the threshold of the sepulchre. Buck- 
ling on once more his armor and bestriding his, 
war-steed, he summoned around him his Castilian 
cavaliers, seasoned like him in a thousand battles, 
and accompanied by his son Garcia Fernandez, 
who inherited all the valor of his father, issued 
forth to meet the foe ; followed by the shouts and 
blessings of the populace, who joyed to see him 
once more in arms and glowing with his ancient 
fire. 

The Moors were retiring from an extensive rav- 
age, laden with booty and driving before them an 
immense cavalgada, when they descried a squadron 
of cavaliers, armed all in steel, emerging from a 
great cloud of dust, and bearing aloft the silver 
cross, the well-known standard of Count Fernan 
Gonzalez. That veteran warrior came on, as us- 
ual, leading the way, sword in hand. The very 
sight of his standard had struck dismay into the 
enemy ; they soon gave way before one of his 
vigorous charges, nor did he cease to pursue them 
until they took shelter within the very walls of 
Cordova. Here he wasted the surrounding coun- 
try with fire and sword, and after thus braving the 
Moor in his very capital, returned triumphant to 
Burgos. 

" Such," says Fray Antonio Agapida, " was the 
last campaign in this life of this most valGg:x)us 



CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 395 

cavalier ; " and now, abandoning all further deeds 
of mortal enterprise in arms to his son Garcia 
Fernandez, he addressed all his thoughts, as he 
said, to prepare for his campaign in the skies. 
He still talked as a veteran vrarrior, whose whole 
life had been passed in arms, but his talk was not 
of earthly warfare nor of earthly kingdoms. He 
spoke only of the kingdom of heaven, and what 
he must do to make a successful inroad and gain 
an eternal inheritance in that blessed country. 

He was equally indefatigable in preparing for 
his spiritual as for his mortal campaign. Instead, 
however, of mailed warriors tramping through his 
courts, and the shrill neigh of steed or clang of 
trumpet echoing among their walls, there were 
seen holy priests and barefoot monks passing to 
and fro, and the halls resounded with the sacred 
melody of litany and psalm. So pleased was 
Heaven with the good works of this pious cava- 
lier, and especially with rich donations to churches 
and monasteries which he made under the guid- 
ance of his spiritual counselors, that we are told 
it was given to him to foresee in vision the day 
and hour when he should pass from this weary 
life and enter the mansions of eternal rest. 

Knowing that the time approached, he prepared 
for his end like a good Christian. He wrote to 
the kings of Leon and Navarre in terms of great 
humility, craving their pardon for all past injuries 
and offenses, and entreating them, for the good of 
Christendom, to live in peace and amity, and make 
common cause for the defense of the faith. 

Ten days before the time which Heaven had 



396 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ. 

appointed for his death he sent for the abbot of 
the chapel and convent of Arlanza, and bending 
his aged knees before him, confessed all his sins. 
This done, as in former times he had shown great 
state and ceremony in his worldly pageants, so 
now he arranged his last cavalgada to the grave. 
He prayed the abbot to return to his monastery 
and have his sepulchre prepared for his reception, 
and that the abbots of St. Sebastian and Silos and 
Quirce, with a train of holy friars, might come at 
the appointed day for his body ; that thus, as he 
commended his soul to Heaven through the hands 
of his confessor, he might, through the hands of 
these pious men, resign his body to the earth. 

When the abbot had departed, the count de- 
sired to be left alone ; and clothing himself in 
a coarse friar's garb, he remained in fervent prayer 
for the forgiveness of his sins. As he had been a 
valiant captain all his life against the enemies of the 
faith, so was he in death against the enemies of the 
soul. He died in the full command of all his facul- 
ties, making no groans nor contortions, but ren- 
dering up his spirit with the calmness of a heroic 
cavalier. 

We are told that when he died voices were 
heard from heaven in testimony of his sanctity 
while the tears and lamentations of all Spain 
proved how much he was valued and beloved on 
earth. His remains were conveyed, according to 
his request, to the monastery of St. Pedro de Ar- 
lanza by a procession of holy friars with solemn 
(!}iant and dirge. In the church of that convent 
they still repose ; and two paintings are to be 



CERONICLE OF FERNAN G JNZALEZ. 397 

Been in the convent, — one representing the sount 
valiantly fighting with the Moors, the other con- 
vei-sing with St. Pelayo and St. Millan, as they 
appeared to him in vision before the battle of 
Hazinas. 

The cross which he used as his standard is 
still ti^asured «p in the sacristy of the convent. 
It is of massive silver, two ells in length, with 
our Saviour sculptured upon it, and above the 
head, in Gothic letters, L N. E. I. Below is 
Adam awaking from the grave, with the words of 
St. Paul, " Awake, thou who sleepest, and arise 
from the tomb, for Christ shall give thee life/' 

This holy cross still has the form at the lower 
end by which the standard-bearer rested it in the 
pommel of his saddle. 

"Inestimable*'* adds Fray Antonio Agapida, 
" are the relies and remains of saints and sainted 
warriors.*' In after times, when Fernando the 
Third, surnamed the Saint, went to the conquest 
of Seville, he took with him a bone of this 
thrice -blessed and utterly renowned cavalier, to- 
gether with his sword and pennon, hoping through 
their efficacy to succeed in his enterprise, — nor 
was he disappointed % but what is marvelous to 
hear, but which we have on the authority of the 
good Bishop Sandoval, on the day on which King 
Fernando the Saint entered Seville in triumph, 
great blows were heard to resound within the 
sepulchre of the count at Arlanza, as if veritably 
his bones which remained behind exulted in the 
victory gained by those which had been carried to 
the wars. Thus were raarvelously fulfilled the 



398 CHRONICLE OF FERN AN GONZALEZ, 

words of the holy psalm, -— " Exaltabaiit ossa 
humilitata." ^ 

Here ends the chronicle of the most valorous 
and renowned Don Fernan Gonzalez, Count of 
Castile. Laus Deo, 

1 Sandoval, p. 334. 




CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE 
SAINT. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 



CHAPTER I. 

The Parentage of Fernando. — Queen Berenguela. — The 
Laras. — Don Alvar conceals the Death of King Henry. — 
Mission of Queen Berenguela to Alfonso IX. — She re- 
nounces the Crown of Castile in favor of her son Fernando. 




ERNANDO III., surnamed the Saint, 
was the son of Alfonso III. King of 
Leon, and of Berenguela, a princess of 
Castile ; but there were some particulars concern- 
ing his parentage which it is necessary clearly to 
state before entering upon his personal history. 

Alfonso III. of Leon, and Alfonso IX. King 
of Castile, were cousins, but there were dissen- 
sions between them. The King of Leon, to 
strengthen himself, married his cousin, the Prin- 
cess Theresa, daughter of his uncle, the King or 
Portugal. By her he had two daughters. The 
raai-riage was annulled by Pope Celestine III. on 
account of their consanguinity, and, on their mak- 
ing resistance, they were excommunicated and the 
kingdom laid under an interdict. This produced 
an unwilling separation in 1195. Alfonso III. 
did not long remain single. Fresh dissensions 
26 



402 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SATNT. 

having broken out between him and his cousin 
Alfonso IX. of Castile, they were amicably ad- 
justed by his marrying the Princess Berenguela, 
daughter of that monarch. This second mar- 
riage, which took place about three years after 
the divorce, came likewise under the ban of the 
Church, and for the same reason, the near pro- 
pinquity of the parties. Again the commands of 
the Pope were resisted, and again the refractory 
parties were excommunicated and the kingdom 
laid under an interdict. 

The unfortunate king of Leon was the more 
unwilling to give up the present marriage, as the 
Queen Berenguela had made him the happy 
father of several children, one of whom he hoped 
.might one day inherit the two crowns of Leon 
and Castile. 

The intercession and entreaties of the bishops 
of Castile so far mollified the rigor of the Pope, 
that a compromise was made ; the legitimacy of 
the children by the present marriage was not to 
be aifected by the divorce of the parents, and 
Fernando, the eldest, the subject of the present 
chronicle, was recognized as successor to his 
father to the throne of Leon. The divorced 
Queen Berenguela left Fernando in Leon, and 
leturned in 1204 to Castile, to the court of her 
father, Alfonso III. Here she remained until the 
death of her father in 1214, who was succeeded by 
his son, Enrique, or Henry I. The latter being 
only in his eleventh year, his sister, the ex- Queen 
Berenguela, was declared regent. She well mer- 
ited the trust, for she was a woman of great pru- 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 403 

dence and wisdom, and a resolute and magnani- 
mous spirit. 

At this time the house of Lara had risen to 
great power. There were three brothers of that 
turbulent and haughty race, Don Alvar Nunez, 
Don Fernan Nunez, and Don Gonzalo Nunez. 
The Laras had caused great trouble in the king- 
dom during the minority of Prince Henry's 
father, by arrogating to themselves the regency ; 
and they now attempted, in like manner, to get 
the guardianship of the son, declaring it an office 
too important and difficult to be intrusted to a 
woman. Having a powerful and unprincipled 
party among the nobles, and using great bribery 
among persons in whom Berenguela confided, 
they carried their point ; and the virtuous Ber- 
enguela, to prevent civil commotions, resigned the 
regency into the hands of Don Alvar Nunez de 
Lara, the head of that ambitious house. First, 
however, she made him kneel and swear that he 
would conduct himself toward the youthful king, 
Enrique, as a thorough friend and a loyal vassal, 
guarding his person from all harm ; that he would 
respect the property of individuals, and undertake 
nothing of importance without the counsel and 
consent of Queen Berenguela. Furthermore, 
that he would guard and respect the hereditary 
possessions of Queen Berenguela, left to her by 
her father, and would always serve her as his 
sovereign, the daughter of his deceased king. 
All this Don Alvar Nunez solemnly swore upon 
the sacred evangelists and the holy cross. 

No sooner, however, had he got the young 



404 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT 

king in his power, than he Showed the ambition^ 
rapacity, and arrogance of his nature. He pre- 
vailed upon the young king to make him a count ; 
he induced him to hold eortes without the pres- 
ence of Queen Berenguela; issuing edicts in the 
king's name, he banished refractory nobles, giv- 
ing their offices and lands to his brothers ; he 
levied exactions on rich and poor, and, what is 
still more flagrant, he extended these exactions 
to the Church. In vain did Queen Berenguela 
remonstrate ; in vain did the Dean of Toledo 
thunder forth an excommunication ; he scoffisd 
at them both, for in the king's name he persuaded 
himself he had a tower of strength. He even 
sent a letter to Queen Berenguela in the name 
of the young king, demanding of her the castles, 
towns, and ports which had been left to lier by 
her father. The queen was deeply grieved at 
this letter, and sent a reply to the king that, 
when she saw him face to face, she would do 
with those possessions whatever he should com- 
mand, as her brother and sovereign. 

On receiving this message, the young king 
was shocked and distressed that such a demand 
should have been made in his name ; but he was 
young and inexperienced, and could not openly 
contend with a man of Don Alvar's overbearing 
character. He wTote secretly to the queen, 
however, assuring her that the demand had been 
made without his knowledge, and saying how 
gladly he would come to her if he could, and be 
relieved from the thraldom of Don Alvar. 

In this way the unfortunate prince was made 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO TEE SAINT. 405 

an instrument in the hands of this haughty and 
arrogant nobleman of inflicting all kinds of 
wrongs and injuries upon his subjects. Don 
Alvar constantly kept him with him, carrying 
him from place to place of his dominions, wher- 
ever his presence was necessary to effect some 
new measure of tyranny. He even endeavored 
to negotiate a marriage between the young king 
and some neighboring princess, in order to retain 
an influence over him, but in this he was unsuc- 
cessful. 

For three years had he maintained this iniqui- 
tous sway, until one day in 1217, when the 
young king was with him at Palencia, and was 
playing with some youthful companions in th« 
court-yard of the episcopal palace, a tile, either 
falling from the roof of a tower, or sportively 
thrown by one of his companions, struck him in 
the head, and inflicted a wound of which he 
presently died. 

This was a fatal blow to the power of Don 
Alvar. To secure himself from any sudden re- 
vulsion in the popular mind, he determined to 
conceal the death of the king as long as possible, 
and gave out that he had retired to the fortress 
of Tariego, whither he had the body conveyed, 
as if still living. He continued to issue dis- 
patches from time to time in the name of the 
king, and made various excuses for his non* 
appearance in public. 

Queen Berenguela soon learned the truth. 
According to the laws of Castile she was heiress 
to the crown, but she resolved to transfer it to 



406 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

her son Fernando, who, being likewise acknowl- 
edged successor to the crown of Leon, would 
unite the two kingdoms under his rule. To 
effect her purpose she availed herself of the 
cunning of her enemy, kept secret her knowl- 
edge of the death of her brother, and sent two 
of her confidential cavaliers, Don Lope Diaz de 
Haro, Seiior of Biscay, and Don Gonzalo Ruiz 
Giron, and Don Alonzo Tellez de Meneses, to 
her late husband, Alfonso IX., King of Leon, 
who, with her son Fernando, was then at Toro, 
entreating him to send the latter to her to pro- 
tect her from the tyranny of Don Alvar. The 
prudent mother, however, forbore to let King 
Alfonso know of her brother's death, lest it 
might awaken in him ambitious thoughts about 
the Castilian crown. 

This mission being sent, she departed with the 
cavaliers of her party for Palencia. The death 
of the King Enrique being noised about, she was 
honored as Queen of Castile, and Don Tello, 
the bishop, came forth in procession to receive 
her. The next day she proceeded to the castle 
of Duenas, and, on its making some show of 
resistance, took it by force. 

The cavaliers who were with the queen en- 
deavored to effect a reconciliation between her 
and Don Alvar, seeing that the latter had power- 
ful connections, and through his partisans and 
retainers held possession of the principal towns 
and fortresses ; that haughty nobleman, however, 
would listen to no proposals unless the Prince 
Fernando was given into his guardianship, as had 
been the Prince Enrique. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 407 

In the mean time the request of Queen Beren* 
guela had been granted by her late husband, the 
King of Leon, and her son Fernando hastened 
to meet her. The meeting took place at the 
castle of Otiella, and happy was the anxious 
mother once more to embrace her son. At her 
command the cavaliers in her train elevated him 
on the trunk of an elm-tree for a throne, and 
hailed him king with great acclamations. 

They now proceeded to Valladolid, which at 
that time was a great and wealthy town. Here 
the nobility and chivalry of Estremadura and 
other parts hastened to pay homage to the queen. 
A stage was erected in the market-place, where 
the assembled states acknowledged her for queen 
and swore fealty to her. She immediately, in 
presence of her nobles, prelates, and people, re- 
nounced the crown in favor of her som The air 
I'ang with the shouts of " Long live Fernando, 
King of Castile ! " The bishops and clergy then 
conducted the king in state to the church. This 
was on the olst of August, 1217, and about three 
months from the death of King Enrique. 

Fernando was at this time about eighteen 
years of age, an accomplished cavalier, having 
been instructed in everytKing befitting a prince 
and a warrior 




CHAPTER 11. 

King Alfonso of Leon ravages Castile. — Captivity of Don 
Alvar. — Death of the Laras. 



IjING ALFONSO of Leon was exceed- 




l| ingly exasperated at the furtive manner 
in which his son Fernando had left him, 
without informing him of King Henry's death. 
He considered, and perhaps with reason, the 
transfer of the crown of Castile by Berenguela 
to her son, as a manoeuvre to evade any rights 
or claims which he, King Alfonso, might have 
over her, notwithstanding their divorce ; and he 
believed that both mother and son had conspired 
to deceive and outwit him ; and, what was espe- 
cially provoking, they had succeeded. It was 
natural for King Alfonso to have become by this 
time exceedingly irritable and sensitive ; he had 
been repeatedly thwarted in his dearest concerns ; 
excommunicated out of two wives by the Pope, 
and now, as he conceived, cajoled out of a king- 
dom. 

In his wrath he flew to arms, — a prompt and 
customary recourse of kings in those days when 
they had no will to consult but their own ; and 
notwithstanding the earnest expostulations and 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 409 

entreaties of holy men, he entered Castile with 
an army, ravaging the legitimate inheritance of 
his son, as if it had been the territory of an 
enemy. He was seconded in his outrages by 
Count Alvar Nunez de Lara and his two belli- 
cose brothers, who hoped still to retain power by 
rallying under his standard. 

There were at this time full two thousand 
cavaliers with the youthful king, resolute men, 
well armed and well appointed, and they urged 
him to lead them against the King of Leon. 
Queen Berenguela, however, interposed and de- 
clared her son should never be guilty of the im- 
piety of taking up arms against his father. By 
her advice King Fernando sent an embassy to 
his father, expostulating with him, and telling 
him that he ought to be thankful to God that 
Castile was in the hands of a son disposed at all 
times to honor and defend him, instead of a 
stranger who might prove a dangerous foe. 

King Alfonso, however, was not so to be ap- 
peased. By the ambassadors he sent proposals 
to Queen Berenguela that they reenter into wed- 
lock, for which he would procure a dispensation 
from the Pope ; they would then be jointly 
sovereigns of both Castile and Leon, and the 
Prince Fernando, their son, should inherit both 
crowns. But the virtuous Berenguela recoiled 
from this proposal of a second nuptials. " God 
forbid," replied she, " that I should return to ^ 
sinful marriage ; and as to the crown of Castile^ 
it now belongs to my son, to whom I have given 
it with the sanction of God and the good men 
of this realm.'' 



410 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

King Alfonso was more enraged than ever by 
this reply, and, being incited and aided by Count 
Alvar and his faction, he resumed his ravages, 
laying waste the country and burning the vil- 
lages. He would have attacked Duenas, but 
found that place strongly garrisoned by Diego 
Lopez de Haro and Ruy Diaz de los Cameros ; 
he next marched upon Burgos, but that place 
was equally well garrisoned by Lope Diez de 
Faro and other stout Castilian cavaliers ; so per- 
ceiving his son to be more firmly seated upon the 
throne than he had imagined, and that all his 
own menaces and ravages were unavailing, he 
returned deeply chagrined to his kingdom. 

King Fernando, in obedience to the dictates 
of his mother as well as of his own heart, ab- 
stained from any acts of retaliation on his father ; 
but he turned his arms against Muiion and - 
Lerma and Lara, and other places which either 
belonged to, or held out for, Count Alvar, and, 
having subdued them, proceeded to Burgos, the 
capital of his kingdom, where he was received 
by the bishop and clergy with great solemnity, 
and whither the nobles and chivalry from all 
parts of Castile hastened to rally round his 
throne. The turbulent Count Alvar Nunez de 
Lara and his brothers retaining other fortresses 
too strong to be easily taken, refused all alle- 
giance, and made ravaging excursions over the 
country. The prudent and provident Beren- 
guela, therefore, while at Burgos, seeing that the 
troubles and contentions of the kingdom would 
cause great expense and prevent much revenue, 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 411 

gathered together all her jewels of gold and sil- 
ver and precious stones, and all her plate and 
rich silks, and other precious things, and caused 
them to be sold, and gave the money to her son 
to defray the cost of these civil w^ars. 

King Fernando and his mother departed shortly 
afterwards for Palencia ; on their way they had 
to pass by Herrera, which at that time was the 
stronghold of Count Alvar. When the king came 
in sight, Count Fernan Nunez, with his battalions, 
was on the banks of the river, but drew within 
the walls. As the king had to pass close by with 
his retinue, he ordered his troops to be put in good 
order and gave it in charge to Alonzo Tellez and 
Suer Tellez and Alvar Ruyz to protect the flanks. 

As the royal troops drew near. Count Alvar, 
leaving his people in the town, sallied forth with 
a few cavaliers to regard the army as it passed. 
Affecting great contempt for the youthful king 
and his cavaliers, he stood drawn up on a rising 
ground with his attendants, looking down upon 
the troops with scornful aspect, and rejecting all 
advice to retire into the town. 

As the king and his immediate escort came 
nigh, their attention was attracted to this little 
body of proud warriors drawn up upon a bank and 
regarding them so loftily ; and Alonzo Tellez and 
Suer Tellez looking more closely, recognized Don 
Alvar, and putting spurs to their horses, dashed up 
the bank, followed by several cavaliers. Don Alvar 
repented of his vain confidence too late, and seeing 
great numbers urging toward him, turned his 
reins and retreated toward the town. Still his 



412 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 

stomach was too high for absolute flight, and the 
others, who spurred after him at full speed, over- 
took him. Throwing himself from his horse, he 
covered himself with his shield and prepared for 
defense. Alonzo Tellez, however, called to his 
men not to kill the count, but to take him prisoner. 
He was accordingly captured, with several of his 
followers, and borne off to the king and queen. 
The count had everything to apprehend from their 
vengeance for his misdeeds. They used no 
personal harshness, however, but demanded from 
him that he should surrender all the castles and 
strong places held by the retainers and partisans 
of his brothers and himself, that he should furnish 
one hundred horsemen to aid in their recovery, 
and should remain a prisoner until those places 
were all in the possession of the crown. 

Captivity broke the haughty spirit of Don 
Alvar. He agreed to those conditions, and until 
they should be fulfilled was consigned to the 
charge of Gonsalvo Ruyz Giron, and confined in 
the castle of Valladolid. The places were de- 
livered up in the course of a few months, and 
thus King Fernando became strongly possessed of 
his kingdom. 

Stripped of power, state, and possessions. Count 
Alvar and his brothers, after an ineffectual attempt 
to rouse the King of Leon to another campaign 
against his son, became savage and desperate, and 
made predatory excursions, pillaging the country, 
until Count Alvar fell mortally ill of hydropsy. 
Struck with remorse and melancholy, he repaired 
to Toro and entered the chivalrous order of 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 413 

Santiago, that he might gain the indulgences 
granted by the Pope to those who die in thai 
order, and hopii.g, says an ancient chronicler, to 
oblige God, as it were, by that religious ceremony, 
to pardon his sins.^ His illness endured seven 
months, and he was reduced to such poverty that 
at his death there was not money enough left by 
him to convey his body to Ucles, where he had 
requested to be buried, nor to pay for tapers for 
his funeral. When Queen Berenguela heard this, 
she ordered that the funeral should be honorably 
performed at her own expense, and sent a cloth 
of gold to cover the bier.^ 

The brother of Count Alvar, Don Fernando, 
abandoned his country in despair and went to 
Marocco, where he was well received by the mi- 
ramamolin. and had lands and revenues assigned 
to him. He became a great favorite among the 
Moors, to whom he used to recount his deeds in 
the civil wars of Castile. At length he fell 
dangerously ill, and caused himself to be taken 
to a suburb inhabited by Christians. There 
happened to be there at that time one Don Gon- 
salvo, a knight of the order of the Hospital of 
St. John de Acre, and who had been in the service 
of Pope Innocent III. Don Fernando, finding 
his end approaching, entreated of the knight his 
religious habit, that he might die in it. His re- 
quest was granted, and thus Count Fernando died 
in the habit of a Knight Hospitaliere of St. John 
de Acre, in Elbora, a suburb of Marocco. His 

1 Cronica Gotica, por Don Alonzo Nuiiez de Castro, p. 17. 

2 Cronica General de Espana, pt. 3, p. 370. 



414 C FIR ONI CLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT 

body was afterwards brought to Spain, and in- 
terred in a town on the banks of the Pisuerga, in 
which repose likewise the remains of his wife and 
children. 

The Count Gonsalvo Nunez de Lara, the third 
of these brothers, also took refuge among the 
Moors. He was seized with violent disease in 
the city of Baeza, where he died. His body was 
conveyed to Campos a Zalmos, which appertained 
to the Friars of the Temple, where the holy 
fraternity gave it the rites of sepulture with all 
due honor. Snch was the end of these three 
brothers of the once proud and powerful house 
of Lara, whose disloyal deeds had harassed their 
country and brought ruin upon themselves. 





CHAPTER HI. 

Marriage of King Fernando. — Campaign against the Moors. 
— Aben Moliamed, King of Baeza, declares himself the 
Vassal of King Fernando. — They march to Jaen. — Burn- 
ing of the Tower. — Fernando commences the Building of 
the Cathedral at Toledo. 

jjING FERNANDO, aided by the sage 
counsels of his mother, reigned for some 
time in peace and quietness, administer- 
ing his affairs with equity and justice. The 
good Queen Berenguela now began to cast about 
her eyes in search of a suitable alliance for her 
son, and had many consultations with the Bishop 
Maurice of Burgos, and other ghostly counselors, 
thereupon. They at length agreed upon the 
Princess Beatrix, daughter of the late Philip, 
Emperor of Germany, and the Bishop Maurice 
and Padre Fray Pedro de Arlanza were sent as 
envoys to the Emperor Frederick II., cousin of 
the princess, to negotiate the terms. An arrange- 
ment was happily effected, and the princess set 
out for Spain. In passing through France she 
was courteously entertained at Paris by King 
Philip, who made her rich presents. On the 
borders of Castile she was met at Vittoria by the 
Queen Berenguela, with a great train of pre- 
lates, monks, and masters of the religious orders, 



416 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 

and of abbesses and nuns, together with a glori- 
ous train of chivalry. In this state she was con 
ducted to Burgos, where the king and all his 
court came forth to receive her, and their nuptials 
were celebrated with great pomp and rejoicing. 

King Fernando lived happily with his fair 
Queen Beatrix, and his kingdom remained in 
peace ; but by degrees he became impatient of 
quiet, and anxious to make war upon the Moors. 
Perhaps he felt called upon to make some signal 
essay in arms at present, having, the day before 
his nuptials, been armed a knight in the monas- 
tery of Las Huelgos, and in those iron days 
knighthood was not a matter of mere parade and 
ceremony, but called for acts of valor and proofs 
of stern endurance. 

The discreet Berenguela endeavored to dis- 
suade her son from taking the field, considering 
him not of sufficient age. In all things else he 
was ever obedient to her counsels, and even to 
her inclinations, but it was in vain that she endeav- 
ored to persuade him from making war upon the 
infidels. " God," would he say, " had put into 
his hands not merely a sceptre to govern, but a 
sword to avenge his country." 

It was fortunate for the good cause, moreover, 
add the Spanish chroniclers, that while the queen- 
mother was endeavoring to throw a damper on 
the kindling fire of her son, a worthy prelate was 
at hand to stir it up into a blaze. This was the 
illustrious historian Rodrigo, Archbishop of To- 
ledo, who now preached a crusade against the 
Moors, promising like indulgences with those 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 417 

gratited to the warriorti for the Holy Sepulchre. 
The consequence was a great assemblage of 
troops ironi all parts at Toledo. 

King j.<ernanao was prevented for a time from 
taking tne field in person, but sent in advance 
Don Lope liiaz de Haro and Ruy Gonsalvo de 
Giron and Alonzo Tellez de Meneses, with five 
hundred cavaliers well armed and mounted. The 
very sight of ihem erifected a conquest over 
Aben Mohamecl, the iVioorish king of Baeza, inso- 
much that he sent an embassy to King Fernando, 
declai'ing himself his vassal. 

When King lernando afterwards took the 
field, he was joined by this Moorish ally at the 
Navas or plains of Tolosa ; who w^as in company' 
with him when the king marched to Jaen, to the 
foot of a tower, and set fire to it, whereupon 
those Moors who remained in the tower were 
burned to death, and those who leaped from the 
walls were received on the points of lances. 

Notwithstanding the burnt-offering of this 
tower, Heaven did not smile upon the attempt of 
King Fernando to reduce the city of Jaen. He 
was ol)liged to abandon the siege, but consoled 
himself by laying waste the country. He was 
more successful elsewhere. He carried the strong 
town of Priego by assault, and gave the garrison 
tlieir lives on condition of yielding up all their 
property, and paying, moreover, eighty thousand 
maravedis of silver. For the payment of this 
sum they were obliged to give as hostages fifty- 
five damsels of great beauty, and fifty cavaliers 
of rank, besides nine hundred of the common 
27 



418 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 

people. The king divided his hostages among his 
bravest cavaliers and the religious orders ; but 
his vassal, the Moorish king of Baeza, obtained 
the charge of the Moorish damsels. 

The king then attacked Loxa, and his men 
scaled the walls and burnt the gates, and made 
themselves masters of the place. He then led 
his army into the Vega of Granada, the inhabi- 
tants of which submitted to become his vassals, 
and gave up all the Christian captives in that 
city, amounting to thirteen hundred. 

Aben Mohamed, king of Baeza, then delivered 
to King Fernando the towers of Martos and An- 
dujar, and the king gave them to Don Alvar 
Perez de Castro, and placed with him Don Gon- 
zalo Ybaiiez, Master of Calatrava, and Tello 
Alonzo Meneses, son of Don Alonzo Tellez, and 
other stout cavaliers, fitted to maintain frontier 
posts. These arrangements being made, and 
having ransacked every mountain and valley, 
and taken many other places not herein specified, 
King Fernando returned in triumph to Toledo, 
where he was joyfully received by his mother 
Berenguela and his wife Beatrix. 

Clerical historians do not fail to record with 
infinite satisfaction a signal instance of the devout 
and zealous spirit which King Fernando had de- 
rived from his constant communion with the rev- 
erend fathers of the Church. As the king was 
one day walking with his ghostly adviser the 
(irchbishop, in the principal church of Toledo, 
which was built in the Moresco fashion, having 
been a mosque of the infidels, it occurred, or 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 419 

more probably was suggested to him, that, since 
God had aided him to increase his kingdom, and 
had given him such victories over the enemies of 
his holy faith, it became him to rebuild his holy 
temple, which was ancient and falling to decay, 
and to adorn it richly with the spoils taken from 
the Moors. The thought was promptly carried 
into effect. The king and the archbishop laid the 
first stone with great solemnity, and in the fullness 
of time accomplished that mighty cathedral of 
Toledo, which remains the wonder and admiration 
of after ages. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Assassination of Aben Mohamed. — His Head carried as a 
Present to Abullale, the Moorish King of Seville. — Advance 
of the Christians into Andalusia. — Abullale purchases a 
Truce. 




JHE worthy Fray Antonio Agapida re- 
cords various other victories and achieve- 
ments of King Fernando in a subsequent 
campaign against the Moors of Andalusia ; in the 
course of which his camp was abundantly supplied 
with grain by his vassal Aben Mohamed, the 
Moorish king of Baeza. The assistance rendered 
by that Moslem monarch to the Christian forces 
in their battles against those of his own race and 
his own faith, did not meet with the reward it 
merited. " Doubtless," says Antonio Agapida, 
" because he halted half way in the right path, 
and did not turn thorough renegado." It appears 
that his friendship for the Christians gave great 
disgust to his subjects, and some of them rose 
upon him, while he was sojourning in the city of 
Cordova, and sought to destroy him. Aben Mo- 
hamed fled by a gate leading to the gardens, to 
take shelter in the tower of Almodovar ; but the 
assassins overtook him, and slew him on a hill 
near the tower. They then cut off his head and 
carried it as a present to Abullale, the Moorish 



/ 
CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 421 

king of Seville, expecting to be munificently re- 
warded; but that monarch gave command that 
their heads should be struck off and their bodies 
thrown to the dogs, as traitors to their liege lords.^ 

King Fernando was grieved when he heard 
of the assassination of his vassal, and feared the 
death of Aben Mohamed might lead to a rising 
of the Moors. He sent notice to Andujar, to 
Don Alvar Perez de Castro and Alonzo Tellez 
de Meneses, to be on their guard ; but the Moors, 
fearing punishment for some rebellious movements, 
abandoned the town, and it fell into the hands of 
the king. The Moors of Martos did the like. 
The Alcazar of Baeza yielded also to the king, 
who placed in it Don Lope Diaz de Haro with 
five hundred men. 

Abullale, the Moorish sovereign of Seville, was 
alarmed at seeing the advances which the Chris- 
tians were making in Andalusia ; and attempted 
to wrest from their hands these newly acquired 
places. He marched upon Martos, which was 
not strongly walled. The Countess Dona Yrenia, 
wife to Don Alvar Perez de Castro, was in this 
place, and her husband was absent. Don Tello 
Alonzo, with a Spanish force, hastened to her 
assistance. Finding the town closely invested, 
he formed his men into a troop, and endeavored 
to cut his way through the enemy. A rude con- 
flict ensued, the cavaliers fought their way for- 
ward, and Christian and Moor arrived pell-mell 
at the gate of the tow^n. Here the press was ex- 
cessive. Fernan Gomez de Pudiello, a stout cav 
1 Cron. Gen. de Espana^ pt. 4, fol. 373. 



422 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

alier, who bore the pennon of Don Tello Alonzo, 
was slain, and the same fate would have befallen 
Don Tello himself, but that a company of esquires 
sallied from the town to his rescue. 

King Abullale now encircled the town, and got 
possession of the Pena, or rock, which commands 
it, killing two hundred Christians who defended 
it. 

Provisions began to fail the besieged, and they 
weie reduced to slay their horses for food, and 
even to eat the hides. Don Gonsalvo Ybanez, 
master of Calatrava, who was in Baeza, hearing 
of the extremity of the place, came suddenly with 
seventy men and effected an entrance. The aug- 
mentation of the garrison only served to increase 
the famine, without being sufficient in force to 
raise the siege. At length word was brought to 
Don Alvar Perez de Castro, who was with the 
king at Guadalaxara, of the imminent danger to 
which his wife was exposed. He instantly set 
off for her relief, accompanied by several cavaliers 
of note, and a strong force. They succeeded in 
getting into Martos, recovered the Pena, or rock, 
and made such' vigorous defense that Abullale 
abandoned the siege in despair. In the following 
year King Fernando led his host to take revenge 
upon this Moorish king of Seville ; but the latter 
purchased a truce for one year with three hundred 
maravedis of silver.^ 

1 Cron Gen. de Espanttj-gt, 4, c. ii. 




CHAPTER V. 

Xhen Hud. — Abullale purchases another Year's Truce. — 
Fernando hears of the Death of his Father, the King of 
Leon, while pressing the Siege of Jaen. — He becomes 
Sovereign of the Two Kingdoms of Leon and Castile. 

BOUT this time a valiant sheik, named 
Aben Abdallar Mohammed ben Hud, 
but commonly called Aben Hud, was 
effecting a great revolution in Moorish affairs. 
He was of the lineage of Aben Alfange, and 
bitterly opposed to the sect of Almohades, who 
for a long time had exercised a tyrannical sway. 
Stirring up the Moors of Murcia to rise upon 
their oppressors, he put himself at their head, 
massacred all the Almohades that fell into his 
hancl3, and made himself sheik or king of that 
region. He purified the mosques with water, 
after the manner in whicli Christians purify their 
churches, as tliough they had been defiled by the 
Almohades. Aben Hud acquired a name among 
those of his religion for justice and good faith as 
well as valor ; and after some opposition, gained 
sway over all Andalusia. This brought him in 
collision with King Fernando . . . 

(Something is wanting here.) ^ 



1 The hiatus, here noted by the author, has evidently 
arisen from the loss of a leaf of his manuscript. The printed 



424 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 

laying waste fields of grain. The Moorish sove- 
reign of Seville purchased another year's truce of 
him for three hundred thousand maravedis of sil- 
ver. Aben Hud, on the other hand, collected a 
great force and marched to oppose him, but did 
not dare to give him battle. He went, therefore, 
upon Merida, and fought with King Alfonso of 
Leon, father of King Fernando, where, however, 
he met with complete discomfiture. 

On the following year King Fernando re- 
peated his invasion of Andalusia, and was press- 
ing the siege of the city of Jaen, which he 
assailed by means of engines discharging stones, 
when a courier arrived in all speed from his 
mother, informing him that his father Alfonso 
was dead, and urging him to proceed instantly to 
Leon, to enforce his pretensions to the crown. 
King Fernando accordingly raised the siege of 
Jaen, sending his engines to Martos, and repaired 
to Castile, to consult with his mother, who was 
his counselor on all occasions. 

It appeared that in his last will King Alfonso 
had named his two daughters joint heirs to the 

line which precedes the parenthesis concludes page 32 of the 
manuscript; the hne which follows it begins page 34. The 
intermediate page is wanting. I presume the author did not 
become conscious of his loss until he had resorted to his man- 
uscript for revision, and that he could not depend upon his 
memory to supply what was wanting without a fresh resort 
to authorities not at hand. Hence a postponement and ulti- 
mate omission. The missing leaf would scarce have filled half 
a page of print, and, it would seem from the context, must 
have related the invasion of Andalusia by Fernando and the 
ravages committed by his armies. — Ed. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 425 

crown. Some of the Leonese and Gallegos 
were disposed to place the Prince Alonzo, 
brother to King Fernando, on the throne ; but 
he had listened to the commands of his mother, 
and had resisted all suoforestions of the kind ; the 
larger part of the kingdom, including the most 
important cities, had declared for Fernando. 

Accompanied by his mother. King Fernando 
proceeded instantly into the kingdom of Leon 
with a powerful force. Wherever they went the 
cities threw open their gates to them. The 
princesses Doiia Sancha and Dona Dnlce, with 
their mother Theresa, would have assembled a 
force to oppose them, but the prelates were all 
in favor of King Fernando. On his approach 
to Leon, the bishops and clergy and all the prin- 
cipal inhabitants came forth to receive him, and 
conducted him to the cathedral, where he re- 
ceived their homage, and was proclaimed king, 
with the Te Deums of the choir and the shouts 
of the people. 

Dona Theresa, who, with her daughters, was 
in Galicia, finding the kingdom thus disposed of, 
sent to demand provision for herself and the two 
princesses, who in fact were step-sisters of King 
Fernando. Queen Berenguela, though she had 
some reason not to feel kindly disposed towards 
Dona Theresa, who she might think had been 
exercising a secret influence over her late hus- 
band, yet suppressed all such feelings, and under- 
took to repair in person to Galicia, and negotiate 
this singular family question. She had an inter- 
view with Queen Theresa at Valencia de Merlio 



426 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO TEE SAINT. 

in Galicia, and arranged a noble dower for her, 
and an annual revenue to each of her daughters 
of thirty thousand maravedis of gold. The king 
then had a meeting with his sisters at Benevente, 
where they resigned all pretensions to the throne. 
All the fortified places which held for them were 
given up, and thus Fernando became undisputed 
sovereign of the two kingdoms of Castile and 
Leon. 





CHAPTER VI. 

Expedition of the Prince Alonzo against the Moors. — En- 
camps on the Banks of the Guadalete. — Aben Hud marches 
out from Xerez and gives Battle. — Prowess of Garcia Perez 
de Vargas. — Flight and Pursuit of the Moors. — Miracle 
of the Blessed Santiago. 

ING FERNANDO III. having, through 
I' the sage counsel and judicious manage- 
ment of his mother, made this amicable 
arrangement with his step-sisters, by which he 
gained possession of their inheritance, now found 
his territories to extend from the Bay of Biscay 
to the vicinity of the Guadalquivir, and from the 
borders of Portugal to those of Aragon and Va- 
lencia ; and in addition to his titles of King of 
Castile and Leon, called himself King of Spain 
by seigniorial right. Being at peace with all his 
Christian neighbors, he now prepared to carry 
on with more zeal and vigor than ever his holy 
wars against the infidels. While making a pro- 
gress, however, through his dominions, adminis- 
tering justice, he sent his brother, the Prince 
Alonzo, to make an expedition into the country 
of the Moors, and to attack the newly-risen 
power of Aben Hud. 

As tlie Prince Alonzo was young and of little 
experience, the king sent Don Alvar Perez de 






428 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

Castro, the Castilian, with him as captain, he 
being stout of heart, strong of hand, and skilled 
in war. The prince and his captain went from 
Salamanca to Toledo, where they recruited their 
force with a troop of cavalry. Thence they pro- 
ceeded to Andujar, where they sent out corre- 
dores, or light foraging troops, who laid waste 
the country, plundering and destroying and bring- 
ing off great booty. Thence they directed their 
ravaging course toward Cordova, assaulted and 
carried Palma, and put all its inhabitants to the 
sword. Following the fertile valley of the 
Guadalquivir, they scoured the vicinity of Sev- 
ille, and continued onward for Xerez, sweeping 
off cattle and sheep from the pastures of Anda- 
lusia ; driving on lono^ cavalgadas of horses and 
mules laden with spoil ; until the earth shook 
with the tramping of their feet, and their course 
was marked by clouds of dust and the smoke of 
burning villages. 

In this desolating foray they were joined by 
two hundred horse and three hundred foot, Moor- 
ish allies, or rather vassals, being led by the son 
of Aben Mohamed, the king of Baeza. 

Arrived within sight of Xerez, they pitched 
their tents on the banks of the Guadalete — 
that fatal river, sadly renowned in the annals of 
Spain for the overthrow of Roderick and the per- 
dition of the kingdom. 

Here a good watch was set over the captured 
flocks and herds which covered the adjacent 
meadows, while the soldiers, fatigued with ravage, 
gave themselves up to repose on the banks of 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 429 

the river, or indulged in feasting and revelry, or 
gambled with each other for their booty. 

In the mean time Aben Hud, hearing of this 
inroad, summoned all his chivalry of the sea- 
board of Andalusia to meet him in Xerez. They 
hastened to obey his call ; eyerj leader spurred 
for Xerez with his band of vassals. Thither 
came also the king of the Azules, with seven 
hundred horsemen, Moors of Africa, light, vigor- 
ous and active ; and the city was full of troops. 

The camp of Don Alonzo had a formidable ap- 
pearance at a distance, from the flocks and herds 
which surrounded it, the vast number of sumpter 
mules, and the numerous captives ; but when Aben 
Hud came to reconnoitre it, he found that its as:- 
gregate force did not exceed three thousand five 
hundred men — a mere handful in comparison to 
his army, and those encumbered with cattle and 
booty. He anticipated, therefore, an easy victory. 
He now sallied forth from the city, and took his 
position in the olive-fields between the Christians 
and the city ; while the African horsemen were 
stationed on each wing, with instructions to hem 
in the Christians on either side, for he was only 
apprehensive of their escaping, It is even said 
that he ordered great quantities of cords to be 
brought from the city, and osier bands to be made 
by the soldiery, wherewith to bind the multitude 
of prisoners about to fall into their hands. His 
whole force he divided into seven battalions, each 
containing from fifteen hundred to two thousand 
cavalry. With these he prepared to give battle. 

When the Christians thus saw an overwhelming 



430 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 

force in front, cavalry hovering on either flank, 
and the deep waters of the Guadalete behind them, 
they felt the perils of their situation. 

In this emergency Alvar Perez de Castro 
showed himself the able captain that he had been 
represented. Though apparently deferring to the 
prince in council, he virtually took the command, 
riding among the troops lightly armed, with trun- 
cheon in hand, encouraging every one by word , 
and look and fearless demeanor. To give the 
most formidable appearance to their little host, he 
ordered that as many as possible of the foot-sol- 
diers should mount upon the mules and beasts 
of burden, and form a troop to be kept in re- 
serve. Before the battle he conferred the honor 
of knighthood on Garcia Perez de Vargas, a 
cavalier destined to gain renown for hardy deeds 
of arms. 

When the troops were all ready for the field, 
the prince extorted them as good Christians to 
confess their sins and obtain absolution. There 
was a goodly number of priests and friars with 
the army, as there generally was with all the 
plundering expeditions of this holy war, but there 
were not enough to confess all the army ; those, 
therefore, who could not have a priest or monk 
ibr the purpose, confessed to each other. 

Among the cavaliers were two noted for their 
valor ; but who, though brothers-in-law, lived in 
mortal feud. One was Diego Perez, vassal to 
Alvar Perez and brother to him who had just 
been armed knight ; the other was Pero Miguel, 
both natives of Toledo. Diego Perez was the 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 431 

one who had given cause of oflfense. He now 
approached his adversary and asked his pardon 
for that day only; that, in a time of such mortal 
peril there might not be enmity and malice in 
their hearts. The priests added their exhortations 
to this request, but Pero Miguel sternly refused 
to pardon. When this was told to the prince and 
Don Alvar, they likewise entreated Don Miguel 
to pardon his brother-in-law. " I will," replied 
he, " if he will come to my arms and embrace me 
as a brother." But Diego Perez declined the fra- 
ternal embrace, for he saw danger in the eye of 
Pero Miguel, and he knew his savage strength 
and savage nature, and suspected that he meant to 
strangle him. So Pero Miguel went into battle 
without pardoning his enemy who had implored 
forgiveness. 

At this time, say the old chroniclers, the shouts 
and yells of the Moorish army, the sound of their 
cymbals, kettle-drums, and other instruments of 
warlike music, were so great that heaven and earth 
seemed commino^led and confounded. In reo^ard- 
ing the battle about to overwhelm him, Alvar 
Perez saw that the only chance was to form the 
whole army into one mass, and by a headlong 
assault to break the centre of the enemy. In 
tills emergency he sent word to the prince, who 
was in the rear with the reserve and had five 
hundred captives in charge, to strike off the heads 
of the captives and join him with the whole re- 
serve. This bloody order was obeyed. The 
prince came to the front, all formed together in 
one dense column, and then, wuth the war-cry 



432 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 

" Santiago ! Santiago ! Castile ! Castile ! " charged 
upon the centre of the enemy. The Moo.rs' line 
was broken by the shock, squadron after squad- 
ron was thrown into confusion, Moors and Chris- 
tians were intermingled, until the field became 
one scene of desperate, chance-medley fighting. 
Every Christian cavaher fought as if the salvation 
of the field depended upon his single arm. Gar- 
cia Perez de Vargas, who had been knighted just 
before the battle, proved himself worthy of the 
honor. He had three horses killed under him, 
and engaged in a desperate combat with the King 
of the Azules, whom at length he struck dead 
from his horse. This king had crossed from Af- 
rica on a devout expedition in the cause of the 
Prophet Mahomet. " Yerily," says Antonio Aga- 
pida, " he had his reward." 

Diego Perez was not behind his brother in 
prowess ; and Heaven favored him in that dead- 
ly fight, notwithstanding that he had not been 
pardoned by his enemy. In the heat of the bat- 
tle he had broken both sword and lance ; where- 
upon, tearing off a great knotted limb from an 
olive-tree, he laid about him with such vigor and 
manhood that he who got one blow in the head 
from that war-club never needed another. Don 
Alvar Perez, who witnessed his feats, was seized 
with delight. At each fresh blow that cracked a 
Moslem skull he would cry out, " Assi ! Assi ! 
Diego, Machacha! Machacha ! " (So! So! Di- 
ego, smash them! smash them!) and from that 
day forward that strong-handed cavalier went by 
the name of Diego Machacha, or Diego the 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 433 

Smasher, and it remained the surname jf several 
of his lineage. 

At length the Moors gave way and fled for the 
gates of Xerez ; being hotly pursued .hey stum- 
bled over the bodies of the slain, and thus many 
were taken prisoners. At the gates the press was 
so great that they killed each other in striving to 
enter; and the Christian sword made slaughter 
under the walls. 

The Christians gathered spoils of the field, af- 
ter this victory, until they were fatigued with col- 
lecting them, and the precious articles found in 
the Moorish tents were beyond calculation. Their 
camp fires were supplied with the shafts of broken 
lances, and they found ample use for the cords 
and osier bands which the Moors had provided 
to bind their expected captives. 

It was a theme of much marvel and solemn 
meditation tiiat of all the distinguished cavaliers 
who entered into this battle, not one was lost, 
excepting the same Pero Miguel who refused to 
pardon his adversary. What became of him no 
one could tell. The last that was seen of him he 
was in the midst of the enemy, cutting down and 
overturning, for he was a valiant warrior and of 
prodigious strength. When the battle and pur- 
suit were at an end, and the troops were recalled 
by sound of trumpet, he did not appear. His tent 
remained empty. The field of battle was searched, 
but he was nowhere to be found. Some supposed 
that, in his fierce eagerness to make havoc among 
the Moors, he had entered the gates of the city 
and there been slain ; but his fate remained a 
28 



434 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

mere matter of conjecture, and the whole was 
considered an awful warning that no Christian 
should go into battle without pardoning those who 
asked forgriveness. 

" On this day," says the worthy Agapida, " it 
pleased Heaven to work one of its miracles ia 
favor of the Christian host ; for the blessed San- 
tiago appeared in the air on a white horse, with 
a white banner in one hand and a sword in the 
other, accompanied by a band of cavaliers in 
white. This miracle,'' he adds, " was beheld by 
many men of verity and worth," probably the 
monks and priests who accompanied the army ; 
'• as well as by numbers of the Moors, who de- 
clared tliat the greatest slaughter was effected by 
those sainted warriors." 

It may be as w^ell to add that Fray Antonio 
Agapida is supported in this marvelous fact by 
Rodrigo, Archbishop of Toledo, one of the most 
learned and pious men of the age, who lived at 
the time and records it in bis chronicle. It is a 
matter, therefore, placed beyond the doubts of 
the profane. 

Note by the Editor. — A memorandum at the foot of 
this page of the author's manuscript, reminds him to "notice 
death of Queen Beatrix about this time," but the text con- 
tinues silent on the subject. According to Mariana, she died 
in the city of Toro in 1235, before the siege of Cordova. An- 
other authority gives the 5th of November, 1236, as the date 
of the decease, which would be some months after the down- 
fall of that renowned city. Her body was interred in the 
nunnery of Las Huelgas at Burgos, and many years after- 
wards removed to Seville, where reposed the remains of her 
husband. 




CHAPTER VIL 

A bold Attempt upon Cordova, the Seat of Moorish Power. 




[BOUT this time certain Christian cava- 
liers of the frontiers received informa- 
tion from Moorish captives that the 
noble city of Cordova was negligently guarded, 
so that the suburbs might easily be surprised. 
They immediately concerted a bold attempt, and 
sent to Pedro and Alvar Perez, who were at 
Martos, entreating them to aid them with their 
vassals. Having collected a sufficient force, and 
prepared scaling ladders, they approached the 
city on a dark night in January, amid showers 
of rain and howling blasts, which prevented their 
footsteps being heard. Arrived at the foot of 
the ramparts, they listened, but could hear aio 
sentinel. The guards had shrunk into the watch- 
towers for shelter from the pelting storm, and the 
garrison was in profound sleep, for it was the 
mid watch of the night. 

Some, disheartened by the difficulties of the 
place, were for abandoning the attempt, but 
Domingo Munoz, their adalid, or guide, encour- 
aged them. Silently fastening ladders together, 
*o as to be of sufficient length, they placed them 
against one of the towers. The first who 



436 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

mounted were Alvar Colodro and Benito de 
Banos, who were dressed as Moors and spoke the 
Arabic language. The tower which they scaled 
is to this day called the tower of Alvar Colodro. 
Entering it suddenly but silently, they found four 
Moors asleep, whom they seized and threw over 
the battlements, and the Christians below imme- 
diately dispatched them. By this time a number 
more of Christians had mounted the ladder, and 
sallying forth, sword in hand, upon the wall, they 
gained possession of several towers and of the 
gate of Martos. Throwing open the gate, Pero 
Ruyz Tabur galloped in at the head of a squad- 
ron of horse, and by the dawn of day the whole 
suburbs of Cordova, called the Axarquia, were 
in their possession ; the inhabitants having hastily 
gathered such of their most valuable effects as 
they could carry with them, and taken refuge iu 
the city. 

The cavaliers now barricaded every street of 
the suburbs excepting the principal one, which 
was broad and straight ; the Moors, however, 
made frequent sallies upon them, or showered 
down darts and arrows and stones from the walls 
and towers of the city. The cavaliers soon 
found that they had got into warm quarters, 
which it would cost them blood and toil to main- 
tain. They sent off messengers, therefore, to 
Don Alvar Perez, then at Martos, and to King 
Fernando, at Benevente, craving instant aid. 
The messenger to the king travelled day and 
night, and found the king at table ; when, kneel- 
ing down, he presented the letter with which he 
was charged. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 437 

No sooner had the king read the letter than 
he called for horse and weapon. All Benevente 
instantly resounded with the clang of arms and 
tramp of steed ; couriers galloped off in every 
direction, rousing the towns and villages to arms, 
and ordering every one to join the king on the 
frontier. '' Cordova ! Cordova ! " was the war- 
cry, — that proud city of the infidels ! that seat 
of Moorish power ! The king waited not to 
assemble a great force, but, within an hour after 
receiving the letter, was on the road with a hun- 
dred good cavaliers. 

It was the depth of winter ; the rivers were 
swollen with rain. The royal party were often 
obliged to halt on the bank of some raging 
stream until its waters should subside. The 
king was all anxiety and impatience. Cordova ! 
Cordova ! was the prize to be won, and the cava- 
liers might be driven out of the suburbs before 
he could arrive to their assistance. 

Arrived at Cordova, he proceeded to the 
bridge of Alcolea, where he pitched his tents 
and displayed the royal standard. 

Before the arrival of the kinir, Alvar Perez 
had hastened from the castle of Martos with a 
body of troops, and thrown himself into the 
suburbs. Many warriors, both horse and foot, 
had likewise hastened from the frontiers and 
from the various towns to which thi^, king had 
sent his mandates. Some came to serve the 
king, others out of devotion to the holy faith, 
some to gain renown, and not a few to aid in 
plundering the rich city of Cordova There 



438 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 



were many monks, also, who had come for the 
glory of God and the benefit of their convents. 

When the Christians in the suburbs saw the 
royal standard floating above the camp of the 
king, they shouted for joy, and in the exultation 
of the moment, forgot pjl pavSt dangers and hard- 
ships. 




CHAPTER VIIL 

A Spy in the Christian Camp. — Death of Aben Hud. — A 
Vital Blow to Moslem Power. — Surrender of Cordova to 
King Fernando. 




BEN HUD, the Moorish chief, who had 
been defeated by Alvar Perez and 
Prince Alonzo before Xerez, was at this 
time in Ecija with a large force, and disposed to 
hasten to the aid of Cordova, but his recent de- 
feat had made him cautious. He had in his camp 
a Christian cavalier, Don Lorenzo Xuares by 
name, who had been banished from Castile by 
King Fernando. This cavalier offered to go as 
a spy into the Christian camp, accompanied by 
three Christian horsemen, and to bring accounts 
of its situation and strength. His offer was 
gladly accepted, and Aben Hud promised to do 
nothing with his forces until his return. 

Don Lorenzo set out privately with his com- 
panions, and when he came to the end of the 
bridge he alighted and took one of the three with 
him, leaving the other two to guard the horses. 
He entered the camp without impediment, and 
saw that it was small and of but little force ; for, 
though recruits had repaired from all quarters, 
they had as yet arrived in but scanty numbers. 

As Don Lorenzo approached the camp he saw 



440 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

a montero who stood sentinel. ^' Friend," said 
he, " do me the kindness to call to rae some 
person who is about the king, as I have something 
to tell him of great importance." The sentinel 
went in and brought out Don Otiella. Don Lo- 
renzo took him aside and said, ''Do you not know 
me ? I am Don Lorenzo. I pray you tell the 
king that I entreat permission to enter and com- 
municate matters touching his safety." 

Don Otiella went in and awoke the king, who 
was sleeping, and obtained permission for Don 
Lorenzo to enter. When the king beheld him 
he was wroth at his presuming to return from 
exile ; but Don Lorenzo replied, -— " Senor, your 
majesty banished me to the land of the Moors to 
do me harm, but I believe it was intended by 
Heaven for the welfare both of your majesty and 
myself." Then he apprised the king of the in- 
tention of Aben Hud to come with a great force 
against him, and of the doubts and fears he en- 
tertained lest the army of the king should be too 
powerful. Don Lorenzo, therefore, advised the 
king to draw off as many troops as could be spared 
from the suburbs of Cordova, and to give his 
camp as formidable an aspect as possible ; and that 
he would return and give Aben Hud such an ac- 
count of the power of the royal camp as would 
deter him from the attack. " If," continued Don 
Lorenzo, '' I fail in diverting him from his enter- 
prise, I will come off with all my vassals and 
offer myself, and all I can command, for the ser- 
vice of your majesty, and hope to be accepted for 
my good intentions. As to what takes place in 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 441 

the Moorish camp, from hence, in three days, I 
will send your majesty letters by this my squire." 

The king thanked Don Lorenzo for his good 
intentions, and pardoned him, and took him as his 
vassal ; and Don Lorenzo said : " I beseech your 
majesty to order that for three or four nights there 
be made great fires in various parts of the camp, 
so that in case Aben Hud should send scouts by 
night, there may be tiie appearance of a great 
host." The king promised it should be done, and 
Don Lorenzo took his leave ; rejoining his com- 
panions at the bridge, they mounted their horses 
and travelled all night and returned to Ecija. 

When Don Lorenzo appeared in presence of 
Aben Hud he had the air of one fatigued aud 
careworn. To the inquiries of the Moor he re- 
turned answers full of alarm, magnifying the 
power and condition of the royal forces. " Seiior/' 
added he, " if you would be assured of the truth 
of what I say, send out your scouts, and they will 
behold the Christian tents whitening all the banks 
of the Guadalquivir, and covering the country as 
the snow covers the mountains of Granada; or at 
night they will see fires on hill and dale illumining 
all the land." 

This intelligence redoubled the doubts and ap- 
prehensions of Aben Hud. On the following day 
two Moorish horsemen arrived in all haste from 
Zaen, king of Valencia, informing him that King 
James of Aragon was coming against that place 
with a powerful army, and offering him the su- 
premacy of the place if he would hasten with alJ 
speed to its relief. 



442 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

Aben Hud, thus perplexed between two objects, 
asked advice of his counselors, among whom was 
the perfidious Don Lorenzo. They observed that 
the Christians, though they had possession of the 
suburbs of Cordova, could not for a long time 
master the place. He would have time, there- 
fore, to relieve Valencia, and then turn his arms 
and those of King Zaen against the host of King 
Fernando. 

Aben Hud listened to their advice, and marched 
immediately for Almeria, to take thence his ships 
to guard the port of Valencia. While at Almeria 
a JMoor named Aben Arramin, and who was his 
especial favorite, invited him to a banquet. The 
unsuspecting Aben Hud threw off his cares for 
the time, and giving loose to conviviality in the 
house of his favorite, drank freely of the wine- 
cup that was insidiously pressed upon him, until 
he became intoxicated. He was then suffocated 
by the traitor in a trough of water, and it was 
given out that he had died of apoplexy. 

At the death of Aben Hud, his host fell asunder, 
and every one hied him to his home, whereupon 
Don Lorenzo and the Christians who were with 
him hastened to King Fernando, by whom they 
were graciously received and admitted into his 
royal service. 

The death of Aben Hud was a vital blow to 
Moslem power, and spread confusion throughout 
Andalusia. When the people of Cordova heard 
!>f it, and of the dismemberment of his army, all 
TOurage withered from their hearts. Day after 
day the army of King Fernando was increasing 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 443 

the roads were covered with foot-soldiers hasten- 
ing to his standard ; every hidalgo who could be- 
stride a horse spurred to the banks of the Gua- 
dalquivir to be present at the downfall of Cordova, 
The noblest cavaliers of Castile were continually 
seen marching into the camp with banners flying 
and long trains of retainers. 

The inhabitants held out as long as there was 
lielp or hope ; but they were exhausted by fre- 
quent combats and long and increasing famine, 
and now the death of Aben Hud cut off all 
chance of succor. With sad and broken spirits, 
therefore, they surrendered their noble city to 
King Fernando, after a siege of six months and 
six days. The surrender took place on Sunday, 
the twenty-ninth day of July, the feast of the 
glorious Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, in the 
year of the Incarnation one thousand two hundred 
and thirty-six. 

The inhabitants were permitted to march forth 
in personal safety, but to take nothing with them. 
*' Thus," exclaims the pious Agapida, " was the 
city of Cordova, the queen of the cities of Anda- 
lusia, which so long had been the seat of the 
power and grandeur of the Moors, cleansed from 
all the impurities of Mahomet and restored to the 
dominion of the true faith." 

King Fernando immediately ordered the cross 
to be elevated on the tower of the principal 
mosque, and beside it the royal standard ; while 
the bishops, the clergy, and all the people chanted 
Te Deum Laudamus, as a song of triumph for 
'his great victory of the faith.^ 

1 Cron. Gtn. de Espnna^ pt. -i. l>leda, lib. 4, c. 10. 



444 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 

The king, having now gained full possession 
ol' the city, began to repair, embellish, and im- 
prove it. The grand mosque, the greatest and 
most magnificent in Spain, was now converted 
into a holy Catholic church. The bishops and 
other clergy walked round it in solemn proces- 
sion, sprinkling holy water in every nook and 
corner, and performing all other rites and cere- 
monies necessary to purify and sanctify it. Tliey 
erected an altar in it, also, in honor of the Vir- 
gin, and chanted masses with great fervor and 
unction. In this way they consecrated it to the 
true faith, and made it the cathedral of the city. 

In this mosque were found the bells of the 
church of San lago in Gallicia, which the 
Alhagib Almanzor, in the year of our Re- 
demption nine hundred and seventy-five, had 
brought off in triumph and placed here, turned 
with their mouths upward to serve as lamps, 
and remain shining mementos of his victory. 
King Fernando ordered that these bells should 
be restored to tlie church of San lago ; and 
as Christians iuid been oblis^ed to brino^ those 
belld hither on their shoulders, so infidels were 
compelled in like manner to carry them back. 
Great was the popular ti'iumph when these 
bells had their tongues restored to them, and 
were once more enabled to fill the air with their 
holy clangor. 

Having ordered all things for the security and 
welfare of the city, the king placed it under the 
government of Don Tello Alonzo de Meneses ; 
he appointed Don Alvar Perez de Castro, also, 



CHRONICLE OF FEBN LNBO TEE SAINT, 445 

general of the frontier, having his stronghold in 
the castle of the rock of Martos. The king 
then returned, covered with glory, to Toledo. 

The fame of the recovery of the renowned 
city of Cordova, which for ^ve hundred and 
twenty-two years had been in the power of the 
infidels, soon spread throughout the kingdom, and 
people came crowding from every part to inhabit 
it. The gates which lately had been thronged 
with steel-clad warriors were now besieged by 
peaceful wayfarers of all kinds, conducting trains 
of mules laden with their effects and all their 
household wealth ; and so great was the throng 
that in a little while there were not houses suffi- 
cient to receive them. 

King Fernando, having restored the bells to 
San lago, had others suspended in the tower of 
the mosque, whence the muezzin had been accus- 
tomed to call the Moslems to their worship. 
" When the pilgrims," says Fray Antonio Aga- 
pida, " who repaired to Cordova, heard the holy 
sound of these bells chiming from the tower of 
the cathedral, their hearts leaped for joy, and 
they invoked blessings on the head of the pious 
King Fernando." 




CHAPTER IX. 

Itfarriage of King Fernando to the Princess J nana. — Fam- 
ine at Cordova. — Don Alvar Perez. 

JHEN Queen Berenguela beheld King 
Fernando returning in triumph from 
the conquest of Cordova, her heart was 
lifted up with transport, for there is nothing that 
more rejoices the heart of a mother than the 
true glory of her son. The queen, however, as 
has been abundantly shown, was a woman of 
great sagacity and forecast. She considered that 
upwards of two years had elapsed since the death 
of the Queen Beatrix, and that her son was liv- 
ing in widowhood. It is true he was of quiet 
temperament, and seemed sufficiently occupied by 
the cares of government and the wars for the 
faith ; so that apparently he had no thought of 
further matrimony ; but the shrewd mother con- 
sidered likewise that he was in the prime and 
vigor of his days, renowned in arms, noble and 
commanding in person, and gracious and capti- 
vating in manners, and surrounded by the tempta- 
tions of a court. True, he was a saint in spirit, 
but after all in flesh he was a man, and might be 
led away into those weaknesses very incident to, 
but highly unbecoming of, the exalted state of 
princes. The good mother was anxious, there- 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 447 

fore, that he should enter again into the secure 
and holy state of wedlock. 

King Fernando, a mirror of obedience to his 
mother, readily concurred with her views in the 
present instance, and left it to her judgment and 
discretion to make a choice for him. The choice 
fell upon the Princess Juana, daughter of the 
Count of Pothier, and a descendant of Louis the 
Seventh of France. The marriage was negoti- 
ated by Queen Berenguela with the Count of 
Pothier ; and the conditions being satisfactorily 
arranged, the princess was conducted in due state 
to Burgos, where the nuptials were celebrated 
with great pomp and ceremony. 

The king, as well as his subjects, was highly 
satisfied with the choice of the sage Berenguela, 
for the bride was young, beautiful, and of stately 
form, and conducted herself with admirable suav- 
ity and grace. 

After the rejoicings were over. King Fernando 
departed with his bride, and visited the principal 
cities and towns of Castile and Leon ; receiving 
the homage of his subjects, and administering 
justice according to the primitive forms of those 
days, when sovereigns attended personally to the 
petitions and complaints of their subjects, and 
went about hearing causes and redressing griev- 
ances. 

In the course of his progress, hearing while at 
Toledo of a severe famine which prevailed at 
Cordova, he sent a large supply of money to that 
city, and at the same time issued orders to various 
parts, to transport thith<;»,r as much grain as pos 



448 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 

sible. The calamity, however, went on increas- 
ing. The conquest of Cordova had drawn 
thither great multitudes, expecting to thrive on 
the well-known fertility and abundance of the 
country. But the Moors, in the agitation of the 
time, had almost ceased to cultivate their fields ; 
the troops helped to consume the supplies on 
hand ; there were few hands to labor and an in- 
finity of mouths to eat, and the cry of famine 
went on daily growing more intense. 

Upon this, Don Alvar Perez, who had com- 
mand of the frontier, set off to represent the 
case in person to the king ; for one living word 
from the moiith is more effective than a thousand 
dead words from the pen. He found the king 
at Yalladolid, deeply immersed in the religious 
exercises of Holy Week, and much did it grieve 
this saintly monarch, say his chroniclers, to be 
obliged even for a moment to quit the holy quiet 
of the church for the worldly bustle of the palace, 
to lay by the saint and enact the sovereign* 
Having heard the representations of Don Alvar 
Perez, he forthwith gave him ample funds where- 
with to maintain his castles, his soldiers, and 
even the idlers who thronged about the frontier, 
and who would be useful subjects when the 
times should become settled. Satisfied, also, of 
the zeal and loyalty of Alvar Perez, which had 
been so strikingly displayed in the present in- 
stance, he appointed him adelantado of the whole 
frontier of Andalusia - — an office equivalent to 
that at present called viceroy. Don Alvar has- 
tened back to execute his mission and enter upon 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 449 

his new office. He took his station at Martos, 
in its rock-built castle, which was the key of all 
that frontier, whence he could carry relief to any 
point of his command, and could make occasional 
incursions into the territories. The following 
chapter will show the cares and anxieties which 
awaited him in his new command. 



29 





CHAPTER X. 

Aben Alhamar, Founder of the Alhambra. — Fortifies Granada 
and makes it his Capital. — Attempts to surprise the Castle 
of Martos. — Peril of the Fortress. — A Woman's Stratagem 
to save it. — Diego Perez, the Smasher. — Death of Count 
Alvar Perez de Castro. 

N the death of Aben Hiid, the Moorish 
power in Spain was broken up into ^ 
factions, as has already been mentioned, ] 
but these factions were soon united under one 
head, who threatened to be a formidable adver- 
sary to the Christians. This was Mohammed ben 
Alhamar, or Aben Alhamar, as he is commonly 
called in history. He was a native of Arjona, 
of noble descent, being of the Beni Nasar, or 
race of Nasar, and had been educated in a man- 
ner befitting his rank. Arrived at manly years, 
he had been appointed alcayde of Arjona and 
Jaen, and had distinguished himself by the justice 
and benignity of his rule. He was intrepid, 
also, and ambitious, and during the late dissen- 
sions among the Moslems had extended his terri- 
tories, making himself master of many strong 
places. 

On the death of Aben Hud, he made a mili- 
tary circuit through the Moorish territories, and 
was everywhere hailed with acclamations as the 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 451 

only one who could save the Moslem power in 
Spain from annihilation. At length he entered 
Granada amidst the enthusiastic shouts of the 
populace. Here he was proclaimed king, and 
found himself at the head of the Moslems of 
Spain, being the first of his illustrious line that 
ever sat upon a throne. It needs nothing more 
to give lasting renown to Aben Alhamar than to 
say he was the founder of the Alhambra, that 
magnificent monument which to this day bears 
testimony to Moorish taste and splendor. As 
yet, however, Aben Alhamar had not time to in- 
dulge in the arts of peace. He saw the storm 
of war that threatened his newly-founded king- 
dom, and prepared to buffet with it. The terri- 
tories of Granada extended along the coast from 
Algeziras almost to Murcia, and inland as far as 
Jaen and Huescar. All the frontiers he hastened 
to put in a state of defense, while he strongly 
fortified the city of Granada, which he made his 
capital. 

By the Mahometan law^ every citizen is a sol- 
dier, and to take arms in defense of the country 
and the faith is a religious and imperative duty. 
Aben Alhamar, however, knew the unsteadiness 
of hastily levied militia, and organized a standing 
force to garrison his forts and cities, the expense 
of which he defrayed from his own revenues. 
The Moslem w^arriors from all parts now rallied 
under his standard, and fifty thousand Moors, 
abandoning Valencia on the conquest of that 
country by the king of Aragon, hastened to put 
themselves under the dominion of Aben Alhamar. 



452 CHRONICTE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

Don Alvar Perez, on returning to his post; 
had intelligence of all these circumstances, and 
perceived that he had not sufficient force to make 
head against such a formidable neighbor, and that 
in fact the whole frontier, so recently wrested 
from the Moors, was in danger of being recon- 
quered. With his old maxim, therefore, " There 
is more life in one word from the mouth than in 
a thousand words from the pen," he determined 
to have another interview with King Fernando, 
and acquaint him with the imminent dangers im- 
pending over the frontier. 

He accordingly took his departure with great 
secrecy, leaving his countess and her women and 
donzellas in his castle of the rock of Martos, 
guarded by his nephew Don Tello and forty 
chosen men. 

The departure of Don Alvar Perez was not 
so secret, however, but that Aben Alhamar had 
notice of it by his spies, and he resolved to make 
an attempt to surprise the castle of Martos, 
which, as has been said, was the key to all this 
frontier. 

Don Tello, who had been left in command of 
the fortress, was a young galliard, full of the fire 
of youth, and he had several hardy and adven- 
turous cavaliers with him, among whom was 
Diego Perez de Vargas, surnamed Machacha, or 
the Smasher, for his exploits at the battle of 
Xerez in smashing the heads of the Moors with 
the limb of an olive-tree. These hot-blooded 
cavaliers, looking out like hawks from their 
mountain hold, were seized with an irresistible 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 45b 

inclination to make a foray into the lands of their 
Moorish neighbors. On a bright morning they 
accordingly set forth, promising the donzellas of 
the castle to bring them jewels and rich silks, 
the spoils of Moorish women. 

The cavaliers had not been long gone when 
the castle was alarmed by the sound of trumpets, 
and the watchman from the tower gave notice of 
a cloud of dust, with Moorish banners and armor 
gleaming through it. It was, in fact, the Moor- 
ish king, A ben Alhamar, who pitched his tents 
before the castle. 

Great was the consternation that reigned 
within the walls, for all the men were absent, 
excepting one or two necessary for the service 
of the castle. The dames and donzellas gave 
themselves up to despair, expecting to be carried 
away captive, perhaps to supply some Moorish 
harem. The countess, however, was of an in- 
trepid spirit and ready invention. Summoning 
her duenas and damsels, she made them arrange 
their hair, and dress themselves like men, take 
weapons in hand, and show themselves between 
the battlements. The Moorish king was de- 
ceived, and supposed the fort well garrisoned. 
He was deterred, therefore, from attempting to 
take it by storm. In the mean time she dis- 
patched a messenger by the postern-gate, with 
orders to speed swiftly in quest of Don Tello, 
and tell him the peril of the fortress. 

At hearing these tidings, Don Tello and his 
companions turned their reins and spurred back 
for the castle, hu." on drawing nigh, they saw from 



454 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 

a hill that it was invested by a numerous host 
who were battering the w^alls. It was an appall- 
ing sight, — to cut their way through such a force 
seemed hopeless, — yet their hearts were wrung 
with anguish when they thought of the countess 
and her helpless donzellas. Upon this, Diego 
Perez • de Vargas, surnamed Machacha, stepped 
forward and proposed to form a forlorn hope, and 
attempt to force a passage to the castle. " If any 
of us succeed," said he, " we may save the countess 
and the rock ; if we fall, we shall save our souls 
and act the parts of good cavaliers. This rock 
is the key of all the frontier, on which the king 
depends to get possession of the country. Shame 
would it be if Moors should capture it ; above all 
if they should lead away our honored countess 
and her ladies captive before our eyes, while our 
lances remain unstained by blood and we unscarred 
with a wound. For my part, I would rather die 
than see it. Life is but short ; we should do in 
it our best. So, in a word, cavaliers, if you re- 
fuse to join me I will take my leave of you and 
do what I can with my single arm." 

'' Diego Perez," cried Don Tello, " you have 
spoken my very wishes ; I will stand by you until ' 
the death, and let those who are good cavaliers 
and hidalgos follow our example." 

The other cavaliers caught fire at these words ; 
forming a solid squadron, they put spurs to their 
horses and rushed down upon the Moors. The 
first who broke into the ranks of the enemy was 
Diego Perez, the Smasher, and he opened a way 
for the others. Their only object was to cut their 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 455 

way to the fortress ; so they fought and pressed 
forward. The most of them got to the rock ; 
some were cut off by the Moors, and died like 
valiant knights, lighting to the last gasp. 

When the Moorish kinoj saw the darinoj of these 
cavaliers, and that they had succeeded in rein- 
forcing the garrison, he despaired of gaining the 
castle without much time, trouble, and loss of 
blood. He persuaded himself, therefore, that it 
was not worth the price, and, striking his tents, 
abandoned the siege. Thus the rock of Martos 
was saved by the sagacity of the countess and 
the prowess of Diego Perez de Yargas, surnamed 
the Smasher. 

In the mean time, Don Alvar Perez de Castro 
arrived in presence of the king at Hutiel. King 
Fernando received him with benignity, but seemed 
to think his zeal beyond his prudence ; leaving so 
important a frontier so weakly guarded, sinking 
the viceroy in the courier, and coming so far to 
give by word of mouth what might easily have 
been communicated by letter. He felt the value, 
however, of his loyalty and devotion, but, furnish- 
ing him with ample funds, requested him to lose 
no time in getting back to his post. The count 
set out on his return, but it is probable the ardor 
and excitement of his spirit proved fatal to him, 
for he was seized w^ith a violent fever when on 
the journey, and died in the town of Orgaz. 




CHAPTER XL 

^ben Hudiel, the Moorish King of Murcia, becomes the 
Vassal of King Fernando. — Aben Alhamar seeks to drive 
the Christians out of Andalusia. — Fernando takes the 
Field against him. — Ravages of the King. — His Last 
Meeting with the Queen-Mother. 

HE death of Count Alvar Perez de Castro 
caused deep affliction to King Fernando, 
for he considered him the shield of the 
frontier. "While he was at Cordova, or at his 
rock of Martos, the king felt as assured of the 
safety of the border as though he had been there 
himself. As soon as he could be spared from 
Castile and Leon, he hastened to Cordova, to 
supply the loss the frontier had sustained in the 
person of his vigilant lieutenant. One of his 
first measures was to effect a trace of one year 
with the king of Granada, — a measure which 
each adopted with great regret, compelled by his 
several policy : King Fernando to organize and 
secure his recent conquests ; Aben Alhamar to 
regulate and fortify his newly founded kingdom. 
Each felt that he had a powerful enemy to en- 
counter and a desperate struggle before him. 

King Fernando remained at Cordova until the 
spring of the following year (1241), regulating 
the affairs of that noble city, assigning houses 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 457 

and estates to such of his cavaliers as had dis- 
tinguished themselves in the conquest, and, as 
usual, making rich donations of towns and great 
tracts of land to the Church and to different re- 
lio^ious orders. Leaving: his brother Alfonso with 
a sufficient force to keep an eye upon the king 
of Granada and hold him in check, King Fernando 
departed for Castile, making a circuit by Jaen 
and Baeza and Andujar, and arriving in Toledo 
on the fourth of April. Here he received im- 
portant propositions from Aben Hudiel, the 
Moorish king of Murcia. The death of Aben 
Hud had left that kingdom a scene of confusion. 
The alcaydes of the different cities and fortresses 
were at strife with each other, aud many refused 
allegiance to Aben Hudiel. The latter, too, was 
in hostility with Aben Alhamar, the king of 
Granada, and he feared he would take advantage 
of his truce with King Fernando, and the dis- 
tracted state of the kingdom of Murcia, to make 
an inroad. Thus desperately situated, Aben 
Hudiel had sent missives to King Fernando, en- 
treating his protection, and offering to become his 
vassal. 

The king of Castile gladly closed with this 
offer. He forthwith sent his son and heir, the 
Prince Alfonso, to receive the submission of the 
king of Murcia. As the prince was young and 
inexperienced in these affairs of state, he sent 
with him Don Pelayo de Correa, the Grand Master 
of Santiago, a cavalier of consummate wisdom 
and address, and also Eodrigo Gonzalez Giron. 
The prince was received in Murcia with regal 



458 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO TEE SAINT. 

honors ; the terms were soon adjusted by which 
the Moorish king acknowledged vassalage to King 
Fernando, and ceded to him one half of his rev- 
enues, in return for which the king graciously 
took him under his protection. The alcaydes of 
Alicant, Elche, Oriola, and several other places, 
agreed to this covenant of vassalage, but it was 
indignantly spurned by the Wall of Lorca; he 
had been put in office by Aben Hud ; and, now 
that potentate was no more, he aspired to exercise 
an independent sway, and had placed alcaydes of 
his own party in Mula and Carthagena. 

As the Prince Alfonso had come to solemnize 
he act of homage and vassalage proposed by 
he Moorish king, and not to extort submission 
Irom his subjects by force of arms, he contented 
himself with making a progress through the 
kingdom and receiving the homage of the ac- 
quiescent towns and cities, after which he rejoined 
his father in Castile. 

It is conceived by the worthy Fray Antonio 
Agapida, as well as by other monkish chroniclers, 
that this important acquisition of territory by the 
saintly Fernando was a boon from Heaven in re- 
ward of an offering which he made to God of 
his daughter Berenguela, whom early in this year 
he dedicated as a nun in the convent of Las Huel- 
gas, in Burgos ■— of which convent the king's 
sister Constau'^a was abbess.^ 

About this time it was that King Fernando 
gave an instance of his magnanimity and his 
chivalrous disposition. We have seen the deadly 
1 Cronica del Rey Santo^ cap. 13. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 459 

opposition he had experienced from the haughty 
house of Lara, and the ruin which the three 
brothers brought upon themselves by their trai- 
torous hostility. The anger of the king was ap- 
peased by their individual ruin ; he did not desire 
to revenge himself upon their helpless families, nor 
to break down and annihilate a house lofty and hon- 
ored in the traditions of Spain. One of the brothers, 
Don Fernando, had left a daughter. Dona Sancha 
Fernandez de Lara ; there happened at this time 
to be in Spain a cousin-german of the king, a 
prince of Portugal, Don Fernando by name, who 
held the seiioria of Serpa. Between this prince 
and Doiia Sancha the king effected a marriage, 
whence has sprung one of the most illustrious 
branches of the ancient house of Lara.^ The 
other daughters of Don Fernando retained large 
possessions in Castile ; and one of his sons will 
be found serving valiantly under the standard of 
the king. 

In the mean time the truce with Aben Alhamar, 
the king of Granada, had greatly strengthened 
the hands of that monarch. He had received 
accessions of troops from various parts, had for- 
tified his capital and his frontiers, and now 
fomented disturbances in the neio-hborincy kinoj- 
dom of Murcia, — encouraging the refractory 
cities to persist in their refusal of vassalage, -— 
hoping to annex that kingdom to his own newly 
consolidated dominions. 

The Wali of Lorca and his partisans, the al- 
caydes of Mula and Carthagena, thus instigated 
1 Notas para la Vida del Santo Rey^ p. 654. 



460 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

by the king of Granada, now increased in tur- 
bulence, and completely overawed the feeble- 
handed Aben Hudiel. King Fernando thought 
this a good opportunity to give his son and heir 
his first essay in arms. He accordingly dis- 
patched the prince a second time to Murcia, ac- 
companied as before by Don Pelayo de Correa, 
the Grand Master of Santiago ; but he sent 
him now with a strong military force, to play the 
part of a conqueror. The conquest, as may be 
supposed, was easy ; Mula, Lorca, and Carthagena 
soon submitted, and the whole kingdom was re- 
duced to vassalage — Fernando henceforth add- 
ing to his other titles King of Murcia. " Thus," 
says Fray Antonio Agapida, " was another 
precious jewel wrested from the kingdom of 
Antichrist, and added to the crown of this saintly 
monarch." 

But it was not in Murcia alone that King 
Fernando found himself called to contend with 
his new adversary the king of Granada. That 
able and active monarch, strengthened as has 
been said during the late truce, had made bold 
forays in the frontiers recently conquered by 
King Fernando, and had even extended them to 
the neighborhood of Cordova. In all this he 
had been encouraged by some degree of neg- 
ligence and inaction on the part of King Fer- 
nando's brother Alfonso, who had been left in 
charge of the frontier. The prince took the 
field against Aben Alhamar, and fought him man- 
fully ; but the Moorish force was too powerful 
to be withstood^ and the prince was defeated. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 461 

Tidings of this was sent to King Fernando, 
and of the great danger of the frontier, as Aben 
Alhamar, flushed with success, was aiming to 
drive the Christians out of Andalusia. King 
Fernando immediately set off for the frontier, ac- 
companied by tlie Queen Juana. He did not 
wait to levy a powerful force, but took with him 
a small number — knowing the loyalty of his 
subjects and their belligerent propensities, and 
that they would hasten to his standard the moment 
they knew he was in the field and exposed to 
danger. His force accordingly increased as he 
advanced. At Andujar he met his brother Al- 
fonso with the relics of his lately defeated army, 
— all brave and expert soldiers. He had now 
a commanding force, and leaving the queen with 
a sufficient guard at Andujar, he set off with his 
brother Alonzo and Don Nuno Gonzalez de Lara, 
son of the Count Gonzalo, to scour the country 
about Arjona, Jaen, and Alcandete. The Moors 
took refuge in their strong places, whence they 
saw with aching hearts the desolation of their 
country — olive plantations on fire, vineyards 
laid waste, groves and orchards cut down, and all 
the other modes of ravage practiced in these un- 
sparing wars. 

The king of Granada did not venture to take 
the field ; and King Fernando, meeting no enemy 
to contend with, while ravaging the lands of Al- 
candete, detached a part of his force under Don 
Rodrigo Fernandez de Castro, a son of the brave 
Alvar Perez lately deceased, and he associated 
with him Nuno Gonzales, with orders to besiege 



462 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO TEE SAINT, 

Arjona. This was a place dear to Aben Alha- 
mar, the King of Granada, being his native place, 
where he had first tasted the sweets of power. 
Hence he was commonly called the king of 
Arjona. . 

The people of the place, though they had 
quailed before King Fernando, despised his offi- 
cers and set them at defiance. The king himself, 
however, made his appearance on the following 
day with the remainder of his forces, whereupon 
Arjona capitulated. 

While his troops were reposing from their 
fatigues, the king made some further ravages, 
and reduced several small towns to obedience. 
He then sent his brother Don Alfonso with 
sufficient forces to carry fire and sword into the 
Vega of Granada. In the mean time he re- 
turned to Andujar to the Queen Juana. He 
merely came, say the old chroniclers, for the pur- 
pose of conducting her to Cordova ; fulfilling, al- 
ways, his duty as a cavalier, without neglecting 
that of a king. 

The moment he had left her in her palace at 
Cordova, he hastened back to join his brother in 
harassing the territories of Granada. He came 
in time ; for Aben Alhamar, enraged at seeing 
the destruction of the Vega, made such a vigor- 
ous sally that had Prince Alfonso been alone in 
command, he might have received a second les- 
son still more disastrous than the first. The 
presence of the king, however, put new spirits 
and valor into the troops : the Moors were driven 
back to the city, and the Christians pursued them 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 463 

to the A^ery gates. As the king had not sufficient 
forces with him to attempt the capture of this 
place, he contented himself with the mischief he 
had done, and, with some more which he subse- 
quently effected, he returned to Cordova to let 
his troops rest from their fatigues. 

While the king was in this city a messenger 
arrived from his mother, the Queen Berenguela, 
informing him of her intention of coming to pay 
him a visit. A long time had elapsed since they 
had seen each other, and her extreme age ren- 
dered her anxious to embrace her son. The king, 
to prevent her from taking so long a journey, set 
off to meet her, taking with him his Queen Juana. 
The meeting took place in Pezuelo near Burgos, ^ 
and was affecting on both sides, for never did son 
and mother love and honor each other more truly. 
In this interview, the queen represented her age 
and increasing weakness, and her incapacity to 
cope with the fatigues of public affairs, of which 
she hadalways shared the burden with the king; 
she therefore signified her wish to retire to her 
convent, to pass the remnant of her days in holy 
repose. King Fernando, who had ever found in 
his mother his ablest counselor and best support, 
entreated her not to leave his side in these arduous 
times, when the King of Granada on one side, 
and the King of Seville on the other, threatened 
to put all his courage and resources to the trial. 
A long and earnest, yet tender and affectionate, 
conversation succeeded between them, which re- 

1 Some chronicles, through mistake, make it Pezuelo near 
Ciudal Real, in the mountains on the confines of Granada. 



464 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

suited in the queen-mother's yielding to his solici- 
tations. The illustrious son and mother remained 
together six weeks, enjoying each other's society^ 
after which they separated — the king and queen 
for the frontier, and the queen-mother for Toledo. 
They were never to behold each other again upon 
earth, for the king never returned to Castile. 




} 



CHAPTER XII. 

King Fernando's Expedition to Andalusia. — Siege of Jaen. 
— Secret Departure of Aben Alharaar for the Christian 
Camp. — He Acknowledges himself the Vassal of the King, 
who enters Jaen in Triumph; 




'T was in the middle of August, 1245 
that King Fernando set out on his grand 
expedition to Andalusia, whence he was 



never to return. All that autumn he pursued the 
same destructive course as in his preceding cam- 
paigns, laying waste the country with fire and 
sword in the vicinity of Jaen and to Alcala la 
Real. The town, too, of lUora, built on a lofty 
rock and fancying itself secure, was captured and 
given a prey to flames, which was as a bale-fire 
to the coLuitry. Thence he descended into the 
beautiful Vega of Granada, ravaging that earthly 
paradise. Aben Alhamar sallied forth from Gra- 
nada with what forces he could collect, and a bloody 
battle ensued about twelve miles from Granada. 
A part of the troops of Aben Alhamar were hasty 
levies, inhabitants of the city, and but little accus- 
tomed to combat ; they lost courage, gave way, 
and threw the better part of the troops in disorder ; 
a retreat took place which ended in a headlong 
flight, in which there was great carnage. ^ 

1 Conde, torn. iii. c. 5. 
30 



466 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

Content for the present with the ravage he 
had made and the victory he had gained, King 
Fernando now drew off his troops and repaired to 
his frontier hold of Martos, where they might rest 
after their fatigues in security. 

Here he was joined by Don Pelayo Perez Cor- 
rea, the Grand Master of Santiago. This vah'ant 
cavalier, who was as sage and shrewd in council 
as he was adroit and daring in the field, had aided 
the youthful Prince Alfonso in completing the 
tranquilization of Murcia, and leaving him in the 
quiet administration of affairs in that kingdom, had 
since been on a pious and political mission to the 
court of Rome. He arrived most opportunely at 
Martos, to aid the king with his counsels, for there 
was none in whose wisdom and loyalty the king 
liad more confidence. 

The grand master listened to all the plans of 
the king for the humiliation of the haughty King 
of Granada ; he then gravely but most respectfully 
objected to the course the king was pursuing. He 
held the mere ravaging the country of little ulti- 
mate benefit. It harassed and irritated, but did 
not destroy the enemy, while it fatigued and de- 
moralized the army. To conquer the country, 
they must not lay waste the field, but take the 
towns ; so long as the Moors retained their strong- 
holds, so long they had dominion over the land. 
He advised, therefore, as a signal blow to the 
power of the Moorish king, the capture of the 
city of Jaen. This was a city of immense strength, 
the bulwark of the kingdom ; it was well su^>plied 
with provisions and the munitions of war ; strongly 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 467 

garrisoned and commanded by Abu Omar, native 
of Cordova, a general of cavalry, and one of the 
bravest officers of Aben Alhamar. King Fer- 
nando had already besieged it in vain, but the 
reasoning of the grand master had either con- 
vinced his reason or touched his pride. Keyset 
himself down before the walls of Jaen declaring 
he would never raise the siege until he was mas- 
ter of the place. For a long time the siege was 
carried on in the depth of winter, in defiance of 
rain and tempests. Aben Alhamar was in despair: 
he could not relieve the place ; he could not again 
venture on a battle with the king after his late de- 
feat. He saw that Jaen must fall, and feared it 
would be followed by the fall of Granada. He was 
a man of ardent spirit and quick and generous im- 
pulses. Taking a sudden resolution, he departed 
secretly for the Christian camp, and made his way 
to the presence of King Fernando. " Behold before 
you," said he, '' the King of Granada. Resistance 
I find unavailing ; I come, trusting to your mag- 
nanimity and good faith, to put myself under your 
protection and acknowledge myself your vassal." 
So sayings, he knelt and kissed the king's hand in 
token of homage. 

*' King Fernando," say the old chroniclers, 
" was not to be outdone in generosity. He raised 
his late enemy from the earth, embraced him as 
a friend, and left him in the sovereignty of his do- 
minions ; the good king, however, was as politic 
as he was generous. He received Aben Alhamar 
as a vassal ; conditioj ed for the delivery of Jaen 



468 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAJNT. 

into his hands ; for the yearly payment of one half 
of his revenues ; for his attendance at the cortes 
as one of the nobles of the empire, and his aiding 
Castile in war with a certain number of horse- 
men." 

1^ compliance with these conditions, Jaen was 
given up to the Christian king, who entered it in 
triumph about the end of February.^ His first 
care was to repair in grand procession, bearing 
the holy cross, to the principal mosque, which 
was purified and sanctified by the Bishop of Cor- 
dova, and erected into a cathedral and dedicated 
to the most holy Virgin Mary. 

He remained some time in Jaen, giving repose 
to his troops, regulating the affairs of this impor- 
tant place, disposing of houses and estates among 
his warriors who had most distinguished them- 
selves, and amply rewarding the priests and monks 
who had aided him with their prayers. 

As to Aben Alhamar, he returned to Granada, 
relieved from apprehension of impending ruin to 
his kingdom, but deeply humiliated at having to 
come under the yoke of vassalage. He consoled 
himself by prosecuting the arts of peace, improv- 
ing the condition of his people, building hospitals, 
founding institutions of learning, and beautifying 
his capital with those magnificent edifices which 
remain the admiration of posterity ; for now it 
was that he commenced to build the Alhambra. 

Note. — There is some dispute among historians as to the 
duration of the siege and the date of the surrender of Jaen. 

1 Notaspara la Vida, etc., p. 562. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 469 

Some make the siege endure eight months, from August inti 
the middle of April. The authentic Agapida adopts the opin- 
ion of the author of Not as para la Vida del Santo Rey, etc., 
who makes the siege begin on the 31st December and end 
about 26th February. 





CHAPTER XIII. 

Axataf, King of Seville, exasperated at the Submission of the 
King of Granada, rejects the Propositions of King Fer- 
nando for a Truce. — The latter is encouraged by a Vision 
to undertake the Conquest of the City of Seville. — Death 
of Queen Berenguela — A Diplomatic Marriage. 

ING FERNANDO, having reduced the 
fair kingdom of Granada to vassalage, 
and fortified himself in Andalusia by 
the possession of the strong city of Jaen, be- 
thought him now of returning to Castile. There 
was but one Moorish potentate in Spain whose 
hostilities he had to fear : this was Axataf, the 
King of Seville. He was the son of Aben Hud, 
and succeeded to a portion of his territories. 
Warned by the signal defeat of his father at 
Xerez, he had forborne to take the field against 
the Christians, but had spared no pains and ex- 
pense to put the city of Seville in the highest 
state of defense ; strengthening its walls and 
towers, providing it with munitions of war of all 
kinds, and exercising his people continually iu 
the use of arms. King Fernando was loth to 
leave this great frontier in its present unsettled 
state, with such a powerful enemy in the neigh- 
borhood, who might take advantage of his absence 
to break into open hostility ; still it w^as his pol- 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 471 

icy to let the sword rest in the sheath until he 
had completely secured his new possessions. He 
Bought, therefore, to make a truce with King 
Axataf, and, to enforce his propositions, it is said 
he appeared with his army before Seville in May, 
1246.-^ His propositions were rejected, as it 
were, at the very gate. It appears that the 
King of Seville was exasperated rather than 
dismayed by the submission of the King of Gra- 
nada. He felt that on himself depended the last 
hope of Islamism in Spain ; he trusted on ^id 
from the coast of Barbary, with which his capital 
had ready communication by water; and he re- 
solved to make a bold stand in the cause of his 
faith. 

King Fernando retired indignant from before 
Seville, and repaired to Cordova, with the pious 
determination to punish the obstinacy and humble 
the pride of the infidel, by planting the standard 
of the cross on the walls of his capital. Seville 
once in his power, the rest of Andalusia would 
soon follow, and then his triumph over the sect 
of Mahomet would be complete. Other reasons 
may have concurred to make him covet the con- 
quest of Seville. It was a city of great splendor 
and wealth, situated in the midst of a fertile 
country, in a genial climate, under a benignant 
sky; and having by its river, the Guadalquivir, 
an open highway for commerce, it was the me- 
tropolis of all Morisma — a world of wealth and 
delight within itself. 

These were sufficient reasons for aiming at the 
1 Noiaspara la Vida del Santo Rey^ p. 572. 



472 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

conquest of this famous city, but these were not 
sufficient to satisfy the holy friars who have writ- 
ten the history of this monarch, and who have 
found a reason more befitting his character of 
saint. Accordingly we are told, by the worthy 
Fray Antonio Agapida, that at a time when the 
king was in deep affliction for the death of his 
mother, the Queen Berenguela, and was pray- 
ing with great fervor, there appeared before him 
Saint Isidro, the gieat Apostle of Spain, who 
bad been Archbishop of Seville in old times, 
before the perdition of Spain by the Moors. As 
the monarch gazed in reverend wonder at the 
vision, the saint laid on him a solemn injunction 
to rescue from the empire of Mahomet his city 
of Seville. " Que asi la llamo por suya en la 
patria, suya en la silla, y suya en la proteccion." 
" Such," says Agapida, *' was the true reason why 
this pious king undertook the conquest of Sev- 
ille ; " and in this assertion he is supported by 
many Spanish chroniclers ; and by the traditions 
of the Church — the vision of San Isidro being 
read to this day among its services.^ 

The death of Queen Berenguela, to which we 
have just adverted, happened some months after 
the conquest of Jaen and submission of Granada. 
The grief of the king on hearing the tidings, we 
are told, was past description. For a time it 
quite overwhelmed him. " Nor is it much to be 
marveled at," says an old chronicler ; '' for never 
did monarch lose a mother so noble and magnani- 
mous in all her actions. She was indeed accom- 
^ Rodriguez, Memorias dtl Santo Rey^ c. Iviii. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO TEE SAINT. 473 

plished in all things, an example of every virtue, 
the mirror of Castile and Leon and all Spain, by 
whose counsel and wisdom the affairs of many 
kingdoms were governed. This noble queen," 
continues the chronicler, " was deplored in all the 
cities, towns, and villages of Castile and Leon ; 
by all people, great and small, but especially/ hy 
poor cavaliers, to whom she was ever a benefac- 
tress." 1 

Another heavy loss to King Fernando, about 
this time, was that of the Archbishop of Toledo, 
Don Rodrigo, the great adviser of the king in all 
his expeditions, and the prelate who first preached 
the grand crusade in Spain. He lived a life of 
piety, activity, and zeal, and died full of years, 
of honors, and of riches — having received 
princely estates and vast revenues from the king 
in reward of his services in the cause. 

These private afflictions for a time occupied the 
royal mind ; the king was also a little disturbed 
by some rash proceedings of his son, the hereditary 
Prince Alfonso, who, being left in the government 
of Murcia, took a notion of imitating his father 
in his conquests, and made an inroad into the 
Moorish kingdom of Valencia, at that time in a 
state of confusion. This brought on a collision 
with King Jayme of Aragon, surnamed the Con- 
queror, who had laid his hand upon all Valencia, 
as his by right of arms. There was thus danger 
of a rupture with Aragon, and of King Fernando 
having an enemy on his back, while busied in his 
wars in Andalusia. Fortunately King Jayme 
1 Cronica del Rey Don Fernando^ c. XIIL 



474 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO TEE SAINT. 

had a fair daughter, the Princess Violante ; and 
the grave diplomatists of the two courts deter- 
mined that it were better the two children should 
marry, than the two fathers should fight. To 
this arrangement King Fernando and King Jayme 
gladly assented. They were both of the same 
faith ; both proud of the name of Christian ; both 
zealous in driving Mahometanism out of Spain, 
and in augmenting their empires with its spoils. 
The marriage was accordingly solemnized in 
Valladolid in the month of November in this 
same year ; and now the saintly King Fernando 
turned his whole energies to this great and crown- 
ing achievement, the conquest of Seville, the em- 
porium of Mahometanism in Spain. 

Foreseeing, as long as the mouth of the Gua- 
dalquivir was open, the city could receive rein- 
forcements and supplies from Africa, the king 
held consultations with a wealthy man of Burgos, 
Ramon Bonifaz, or Boniface, by name, — some 
say a native of France, — one well experienced 
in maritime aflfairs, and capable of fitting out and 
managing a fleet. This man he constituted his 
admiral, and sent him to Biscay to provide and 
arm a fleet of ships and galleys, with which to 
attack Seville by water, while the king should in« 
vest it by land. 



CHAPTER XIV. 




[nvestraent of Seville — All Spain aroused to Arras. — Sur- 
render of Alcala Del Rio — The Fleet of Admiral Ramon 
Bonifaz Advances up the Guadalquivir. — Don Pelavo 
Correa, Master of Santiago. — His Valorous Deeds and the 
Miracles wr* ught in his Behalf. 

inEN it was bruited abroad that King 
Fernando the Saint intended to besiege 
the great city of Seville, all Spain was 
roused to arms. The masters of the various 
military and religious orders, the ricos hombres, 
the princes, cavaliers, hidalgos, and every one of 
Castile and Leon capable of bearing arms, pre- 
pared to take the field. Many of the nobility of 
Catalonia and Portugal repaired to the standard 
of the king, as did other cavaliers of worth and 
prowess from lands far beyond the Pyrenees. 

Prelates, priests, and monks likewise thronged 
to the army, — some to take care of the souls of 
those who hazarded their lives in this holy enter- 
prise, others with a zealous determination to grasp 
buckler and lance, and battle with the arm of 
flesh ao^ainst the enemies of God and the Church. 

At the opening of spring the assembled host 
issued forth in shining array from the gates of 
Cordova. After having gained possession of Car- 
mona, and Lora and Alcolea, and df other neigh- 



476 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

boring places, — some bj voluntary surrender 
others by force of arms, — the king crossed the, 
Guadalquivir, with great difficulty and peril, and 
made himself master of several of the most im- 
portant posts in the neighborhood of Seville. 
Among these was Alcala del Rio, a place of great 
consequence, through which passed all the succors 
from the mountains to the city. This place was 
bravely defended by Axataf in person, the com- 
mander of Seville. He remained in Alcala with 
three hundred Moorish cavaliers, making frequent 
sallies upon the Christians, and effecting great 
slaughter. At length he beheld all the country 
around laid waste, the grain burnt or trampled 
down, the vineyards torn up, the cattle driven 
away and the villages consumed ; so that nothing 
remained to give sustenance to the garrison or 
the inhabitants. Not daring to linger there any 
longer, he departed secretly in tlie night and re- 
tired to Seville, and the town surrendered to King 
Fernando. 

While the king was putting Alcala del Hio in 
a state of defense. Admiral Ramon Bonifaz ar- 
rived at the mouth of the Guadalquivir with a 
fleet of thirteen large ships ^nd several small 
vessels and galleys. While he was yet hovering 
about the land, he heard of the approach of a 
great force of ships from Tangier, Ceuta, and 
Seville, and of an army to assail him from the 
shores. In this peril he sent in all speed for 
succor to the king ; when it reached the sea-coast 
the enemy had not yet appeared ; wherefore, think- 
ing it a false alarm, the reinforcement returned 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO TEE SAINT. 477 

to the camp. Scarcely, however, had it departed 
when the Africans came swarming over the sea, 
and fell upon Ramon Bonifaz with a greatly 
superior force. The admiral, in no way dismayed, 
defended himself vigorously — sunk several of 
the enemy, took a few prizes, and put the rest to 
flight, remaining master of the river. The king 
had heard of the peril of the fleet, and, crossing 
the ford of the river, had hastened to its aid; but 
when he came to the sea- coast, he found it vic- 
torious, at which he was greatly rejoiced, and 
commanded that it should advance higher up the 
river. 

It was on the twentieth of the month of Au- 
gust that King Fernando began formally the 
siege of Seville, having encamped his troops, 
small in number, but of stout hearts and valiant 
hands, near to the city on the banks of the river. 
From hence Don Pelayo Correa, the valiant 
Master of Santiago, with two hundred and sixty 
horsemen, many of whom were warlike friars, 
attempted to cross the river at the ford below 
Aznal Farache. Upon this, Aben Amaken, 
Moorish king of Niebla, sallied forth with a great 
host to defend the pass, and the cavaliers were 
exposed to imminent peril, until the king sent 
one hundred cavaliers to their aid, led on by 
Kodrigo Flores and Alonzo Tellez and Fernan 
Diafiez. 

Thus reinforced, the Master of Santiago scoured 
the opposite side of the river, and with his little 
army of scarce four hundred horsemen, mingled 
monks and soldiers, spread dismay throughout 



478 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

the country. They attacked the town of Gelbes, 
and, after a desperate combat, entered it, sword 
in hand, slaying or capturing the Moors, and 
making rich booty. They made repeated assaults 
upon the castle of Triana, and had bloody com- 
bats with its garrison, but could not take the 
place. This hardy band of cavaliers had pitched 
their tents and formed their little camp on the 
banks of the river, below the castle of Aznal 
Farache. This fortress was situated on an emi- 
nence above the river, and its massive ruins, re- 
maining at the present day, attest its formidable 
strength. 

When the Moors from the castle towers looked 
down upon this little camp of Christian cavaliers, 
and saw them sallying forth and careering about 
the country, and returning in the evenings with 
cavalgadas of sheep and cattle, and mules laden 
with spoil, and long trains of captives, they were 
exceedingly wroth, and they kept a watch upon 
them, and sallied forth every day to fight with 
them, and to intercept stragglers from their camp, 
and to carry off their horses. Then the cava- 
liers concerted together, and they lay in ambush 
one day in the road by which the Moors were 
accustomed to sally forth, and when the Moors 
had partly passed their ambush, they rushed 
forth and fell upon them, and killed and captured 
above three hundred, and pursued the remainder 
to the very gates of the castle. From that time 
the Moors were so disheartened that they made 
no further sallies. 

Shortly after, the Master of Santiago receiving 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 479 

secret intelligence that a Moorish sea-captain had 
passed from Seville to Triana, on his way to suc- 
cor the castle of Aznal Farache, placed himself, 
with a number of chosen cavaliers, in ambuscade 
at a pass by which the Moors were expected to 
come. After waiting a long time, their scouts 
brought word that the Moors had taken another 
road, and were nearly at the foot of the hill on 
which stood the castle. " Cavaliers," cried the 
master, " it is not too late ; let us first use our 
spurs and then our weapons, and if our steeds 
prove good, the day will yet be ours." So say- 
ing, he put spurs to his horse, and the rest fol- 
lowing his example, they soon came in sight of 
the Moors. The latter, seeing the Christians 
coming after them full speed, urged their horses 
up the hill towards the castle, but the Christians 
overtook them and slew seven of those in the 
rear. In the skirmish, Garci Perez struck the 
Moorish captain from his horse with a blow of 
his lance. The Christians rushed forward to 
take him prisoner. On seeing this, the Moors 
turned back, threw themselves between their com- 
mander and his assailants, and kept the latter in 
check while he was conveyed into the castle. 
Several of them fell, covered with wounds ; the 
residue, seeing their chieftain safe, turned their 
reins and galloped for the castle, just entering 
in time to have the gates closed upon their pur- 
suers. 

Time and space permit not to recount the 
many other valorous deeds of Don Pelayo Cor- 
rea, the good Master of Santiago, and his band 



480 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SATNT, 

of cavaliers and monks. His little camp became 
a terror to the neighborhood, and checked the 
sallies of the Moorish mountaineers from the 
Sierra Morena. In one of his enterprises he 
gained a signal advantage over the foe, but the 
approach of night threatened to defraud him of 
. his victory. Then the pious warrior lifted up 
his voice and supplicated the Virgin Mary in 
those celebrated words : " Santa Maria deten tu 
dia " (Holy Mary, detain thy day), for it was one 
of the days consecrated to the Virgin. The 
blessed Virgin listened to the prayer of her 
valiant votary ; the daylight continued in a su- 
pernatural manner, until the victory of the good 
Master of Santiago was completed. In honor 
of this signal favor, he afterwards erected a tem- 
ple to the Virgin by the name of Nuestra Senora 
de Tentudia.l 

If any one should doubt this miracle, wrought 
in favor of this pious warrior and his soldiers of 
the cowl, it may be sufficient to relate another, 
which immediately succeeded, and which shows 
how peculiarly he was under the favor of Hea- 
v^en. After the battle was over, his followers 
were ready to faint with thirst, and could find no 
stream or fountain ; and when the good master 
saw the distress of his soldiers, his heart was 
touched with compassion, and, bethinking himself 
of the miracle performed by Moses, in an impulse 
of holy zeal and confidence, and in the name of 
the blessed Virgin, he struck a dry and barren 
rock with his lance, and instantly there gushed 
1 Zuniga, Annales de Sevilla^ L. 1. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 481 

forth a fountain of water, at which all his Chris- 
tian soldiery drank and were refreshed.^ So 
much at present for the good Master of Santiago, 
Don Pelayo Correa. 

1 Jacob Paranes, Lib, de los Maestros de St lago. Corona 
Gotica, T. 3, § xiii. Zuniga, Annahs de Sevilla. 



31 






CHAPTEE XV. 

King Fernando changes his Camp. — Garci Perez and the 

seven Moors. 

JING FERNANDO the Saint soon 
|{ found his encampment on the banks 
of the Guadalquivir too much exposed 
to the sudden sallies and insults of the Moors. 
As the land was level, they easily scoured the 
fields, carried off horses and stragglers from the 
camp, and kept it in continual alarm. He drew off, 
therefore, to a securer place, called Tablada, the 
same where at present is situated the hermitage 
of Nuestra Seiiora de el Balme. Here he had 
a profound ditch digged all round the camp, to 
shut up the passes from the Moorish cavalry. 
He appointed patrols of horsemen also, com- 
pletely armed, who continually made the rounds 
of the camp, in successive bands, at all hours of 
the day and night.^ In a little while his army 
was increased by the arrival of troops from all 
parts, — nobles, cavaliers, and rich men, with 
their retainers, — nor were there wanting holy 
prelates, who assumed the warrior, and brought 
large squadrons of well-armed vassals to the 
army. Merchants and artificers now daily ar 
1 Corona Goiica^ T. 3, § viii. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 483 

rived, and wandering minstrels, and people of all 
sorts, and the camp appeared like a warlike city, 
where rich and sumptuous merchandise was 
mingled with the splendor of arms ; and the 
various colors of the tents and pavilions, and the 
fluttering standards and pennons bearing the 
painted devices of the proudest houses of Spain, 
were gay and glorious to behold. 

When the king had established tlie camp in 
Tablada he ordered that every day the foragers 
should sally forth in search of provisions and 
provender, guarded by strong bodies of troops. 
The various chiefs of the army took turns t(i 
command the guard who escorted the foragers. 
One day it was the turn of Garci Perez, the 
same cavalier who had killed the king of the 
Azules. He was a hardy, iron warrior, seasoned 
and scarred in warfare, and renowned among 
both Moors and Christians for his great prowess, 
his daring courage, and his coolness in the midst 
of danger. Garci Perez had lingered in the 
camp until some time after the foragers had de- 
parted, who were already out of sight. He at 
length set out to join them, accompanied by 
anothtx' cavalier. They had not proceeded far 
before they perceived seven Moorish genetes, or 
light-horsemen, directly in their road. When the 
companion of Garci Perez beheld such a formid- 
able array of foes, he paused and said : " Seiior 
Perez, let us return ; the Moors are seven and 
we but two, and there is no law in the duello 
which obliges us to make front against such fea»*- 
f'ul odds." 



484 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

To this Garci Perez replied : " Senor, forward, 
always forward ; let us continue on our road ; 
those Moors will never wait for us." The other 
cavalier, however, exclaimed such rashness, and 
turning the reins of his horse, returned as pri- 
vately as possible to the camp, and hastened to 
his tent. 

All this happened within sight of the camp. 
The king was at the door of his royal tent, 
which stood on a rising ground and overlooked 
the place where this occurred. When the king 
saw one cavalier return and the other continue, 
notwithstanding that there were seven Moors in 
the road, he ordered that some horsemen should 
ride forth to his aid. 

Upon this Don Lorenzo Xuarez, who was with 
the king and had seen Garci Perez sally forth 
from the camp, said: "Your majesty may leave 
that cavalier to himself; that is Garci Perez, 
and he has no need of aid against seven Moors. 
If the Moors know him they will not meddle 
with him ; and if they do, your majesty will see 
what kind of a cavalier he is." 

They continued to watch the cavalier, who 
rode on tranquilly as if in no apprehension. 
When he drew nigh to the Moors, who were 
drawn up on each side of the road, he took 
his arms from his squire and ordered him not 
to separate from him. As he was lacing his 
morion, an embroidered cap which he wore on 
bis head fell to the ground without his per- 
ceiving it. Having laced the capellina, he con- 
tinued on his way, and his squire after him. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO TEE SAINT. 485 

When the Moors saw him near by they knew 
by his arms that it was Garci Perez, and be- 
thinking them of his great renown for terrible 
deeds in arms, they did not dare to attack him, 
but went along the road even with him, he on 
one side, they on the other, making menaces. 

Garci Perez went on his road with great 
serenity, without making any movement. When 
the Moors saw that he heeded not their menaces, 
they turned round and went back to about the 
place where he dropped his cap. 

Having arrived at some distance from the 
Moors, he took off his arms to return them to 
his squire, and unlacing the capellina, found that 
the cap was wanting. He asked the squire 
for it, but the latter knew nothing about it. See- 
ing that it had fallen, he again demanded his 
arms of the squire and returned in search of 
it, telling his squire to keep close behind him 
and look out well for it. The squire remon- 
strated. " What, senor," said he, " will you re- 
turn and place yourself in such great peril for 
a mere capa ? Have you not already done 
enough for your honor, in passing so daringly 
by seven Moors, and have you not been sin- 
gularly favored by fortune in escaping unhurt, 
and do you seek again to tempt fortune for a 
cap ? " 

" Say no more," replied Garci Perez ; " that 
cap was worked for me by a fair lady ; I hold 
.'t of great value. Besides, dost thou not see 
that I have not a head to be without a cap ? " 
alluding to the baldness of his head, which had 



486 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

no hair in front. So saying, he tranquilly re- 
turned towards the Moors. When Don Lorenzo 
Xuarez saw this, he said to the king : " Be- 
hold ! your majesty, how Garci Perez turns upon 
the Moors ; since they will not make an attack, 
he means to attack them. Now your majesty 
will see the noble valor of this cavalier, if the 
Moors dare to await him.'' When the Moors 
beheld Garci Perez approaching they thought 
he meant to assault them, and drew off, not dar- 
ing to encounter him. When Don Lorenzo saw 
this he exclaimed , — 

" Behold ! your majesty, the truth of what I 
told you. These Moors dare not wait for him. 
I knew well the valor of Garci Perez, and it 
appears the Moors are aware of it likewise." 

In the mean time Garci Perez came to the 
place where the capa had fallen, and beheld it 
upon the earth. Then he ordered his squire 
to dismount and pick it up, and putting it de- 
liberately on his head, he continued on his way to 
the foragers. 

When he returned to the camp from guarding 
the foragers, Don Lorenzo asked him, in presence 
of the king, who was the cavalier who had set 
out with him from the camp, but had turned 
back on sight of the Moors ; he replied that he 
did not know him, and he was confused, for he 
perceived that the king had witnessed what had 
passed, and he was so modest withal, that he was 
ever embarrassed when his deeds were praised in 
his presence. 

Don Lorenzo repeatedly asked him who was 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO TEE SAINT. 487 

the recreant cavalier, but he always replied that 
he did not know, although he knew full well 
and saw him daily in the camp. But he was too 
generous to say anything that should take away 
the fame of another, and he charged his squire 
that never, by word or look, he should betray 
the secret ; so that, though inquiries were often 
made, the name of that cavalier was never dis- 
covered. 




CHAPTER XVI. 

Of the Raft built by the Moors, and how it was Boarded by 
Admiral Bonifaz. — Destruction of the Moorish Fleet. — 
Succor from Africa. 

|HILE the army of King Fernando the 
Saint harassed the city by land and cut 
oflf its supplies, the bold Bonifaz, with 
his fleet, shut up the river, prevented all succor 
from Africa, and menaced to attack the bridge 
between Triana and Seville, by which the city 
derived its sustenance from the opposite country. 
The Moors saw their peril. If this pass were 
destroyed, famine must be the consequence, and 
the multitude of their soldiers, on which at pres- 
ent they relied for safety, would then become the 
cause of their destruction. 

So the Moors devised a machine by which they 
hoped to sweep the river and involve the invad- 
ing fleet in ruin. They made a raft so wide that 
it reached from one bank to the other, and they 
placed all around it pots and vessels filled with 
resin, pitch, tar, and other combustibles, forming 
what is called Greek fire, and upon it was a great 
number of armed men ; and on each shore — 
from the castle of Triana on the one side, and 
from the city on the other — sallied forth legions 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 489 

of troops, to advance at the same time with the 
raft. The raft was preceded by several vessels 
well armed, to attack the Christian ships, while 
the soldiers on the raft should hurl on board their 
pots of fire ; and at length, setting all the com- 
bustibles in a blaze, should send the raft flammg 
into the midst of the hostile fleet, and wrap it in 
one general conflagration. 

When everything was prepared, the Moors set 
off by land and water, confident of success. But 
they proceeded in a wild, irregular manner, 
shouting and sounding drums and trumpets, and 
began to attack the Christian ships fiercely, but 
without concert, hurling their pots of fire from a 
distance, filling the air with smoke, but falling 
short of their enemy. The tumultuous uproar 
of their preparations had put all the Christians 
on their guard. The bold Bonifaz waited not to 
be assailed ; he boarded the raft, attacked vigor- 
ously its defenders, put many of them to the 
sword, and drove the rest into the water, and 
succeeded in extinguishing the Greek fire. He 
then encountered the ships of war, grappling 
them and fighting hand to hand from ship to 
ship. The action was furious and bloody, and 
lasted all the day. Many were cut down in 
flight, many fell into the water, and many in 
despair threw themselves in and were drowned. 

The battle had raged no less fiercely upon the 
land. On the side of Seville, the troops had 
issued from the camp of King Fernando, wliiie 
on the opposite shore the brave Master of San- 
tiago, Don Pelayo Perez Correa, with his war- 



490 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

riors and fighting friars, had made sharp work 
with the enemy. In this way a triple battle was 
carried on ; there was the rush of squadrons, the 
clash of arms, and the din of drums and trum- 
pets on either bank, while the river was covered 
with vessels, tearing each other to pieces as it 
were, their crews fighting in the midst of flames 
and smoke, the waves red with blood and filled 
with the bodies of the slain. At length the 
Christians were victorious ; most of the enemies' 
vessels were taken or destroyed, and on either 
shore the Moors, broken and discomfited, fled, — 
those on the one side for the gates of Seville, 
and those on the other for the castle of Triana, 
— pursued with great slaughter by the victors. 

Notwithstanding the great destruction of their 
fleet, the Moors soon renewed their attempts 
upon the sliips of Ramon Bonifaz, for they knew 
that the salvation of the city required the freedom 
of the river. Succor arrived from Africa, of 
ships, with troops and provisions; they rebuilt 
the fire-ships which had been destroyed^ and in- 
cessant combats, feints, and stratagems took place 
daily, both on land and water. The admiral 
stood in great dread of the Greek fire used by 
the Moorso He caused large stakes of wood to 
be placed in the river, to prevent the passage of 
the fire-ships. This for some time was of avail; 
but the Moors, watching an opportunity when 
the sentinels were asleep, came and threw cables 
round the stakes, and fastening the other ends to 
their vessels, made all sail, and, by the help of 
wind and oars, tore away the stakes and carried 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 491 

them off with shouts of triumph. The clamor- 
ous exultation of the Moors betrayed them. 
The Admiral Bonifaz was aroused. With a few 
of the lightest of his vessels he immediately pur- 
sued the enemy. He came upon them so sud- 
denly that they were too much bewildered either 
to fight or fly. Some threw themselves into the 
waves in affright ; others attempted to make re- 
sistance and were cut down. The admiral took 
four barks laden with arms and provisions, and 
with these returned in triumph to his fleet.^ 

1 Cronica Gotica, L. 3, § 13. Cronica General^ pt. 4. Ci'im' 
ica de Sanio Rey^ c. 55. 




CHAPTER XVII. 

Of the Stout Prior, Ferran Ruyz, and how he rescued his 
Cattle from the Moors. — Further Enterprises of the Prior, 
and of the Ambuscade into which he Fell. 




|T happperied one day that a great pavt 
of the cavaliers of the army were absent, 
some making cavalgadas about the coun- 
try, others guarding the foragers, and others gone 
to receive the Prince Alfonso, who was on his 
way to the camp from Murcia. At this time ten 
Moorish cavaliers, of the brave lineage of the 
Azules, finding the Christian camp but thinly 
peopled, came prowling about, seeking where they 
might make a bold inroad. As they were on the 
lookout they came to that part of the camp where 
were the tents of the stout Friar Ferran Ruyz, 
prior of the hospital. The stout prior, and his 
fighting brethren, were as good at foraging as 
fighting. Around their quarters there were 
several sleek cows grazing, which they had carried 
off from the Moors. When the Azules saw these, 
they thought to make a good prize, and to bear 
off the prior's cattle as a trophy. Careering 
lightly round, therefore, between the cattle and 
the camp, they began to drive them towards the 
city. The alarm was given in the camp, and six 
sturdy friars sallied forth, on foot, with two cav- 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 493 

allers, in pursuit of the marauders. The prior 
himself was roused by the noise ; when he heard 
that the beeves of the Church were in danger his 
ire was kindled ; and buckling on his armor, he 
mounted his steed and galloped furiously to the 
aid of his valiant friars, and the rescue of his 
cattle. The Moors attempted to urge on the lag- 
ging and full-fed kine, but finding the enemy close 
upon them, they were obliged to abandon their 
spoil among the olive-trees, and to retreat. The 
prior then gave the cattle in charge to a squire, 
to drive them back to the camp. He would have 
returned himself, but his friars had continued on 
for some distance. The stout prior, therefore, 
gave spurs to his horse and galloped beyond them, 
to turn them back. Suddenly great shouts and 
cries arose before and behind him, and an am- 
buscade of Moors, both horse and foot, came rush- 
ing out of a ravine. The stout Prior of Saa 
Juan saw that there was no retreat; and he dis- 
dained to render himself a prisoner. Commend- 
ing himself to his patron saint, and bracing his 
shield, he charged bravely among the Moors, and 
began to lay about him with a holy zeal of spirit 
and a vigorous arm of flesh. Every blow that 
he gave was in the name of San Juan, and every 
blow laid an infidel in the dust. His friars, see- 
ing the peril of their leader, came running to his 
aid, accompanied by a number of cavaliers. They 
rushed into the fight, shouting, " San Juan ! San 
Juan ! " and began to deal such sturdy blows as 
savored more of the camp than of the cloister. 
Great and fierce was thii struggle between cowl 



494 CHRONICLE OF FERNAJN DO THE SAINT, 

and turban. The ground was strewn with bodies 
of the infidels ; but the Christians were a mere 
handful among a multitude. A burly friar, com- 
mander of Sietefilla, was struck to the earth, and 
his shaven head cleft by a blow of a scimetar ; 
several squires and cavaliers, to the number of 
twenty, fell covered with wounds ; yet still the 
stout prior and his brethren continued fighting 
with desperate fury, shouting incessantly, " San 
Juan ! San Juan ! " and dealing their blows with 
as good heart as they had ever dealt benedictions 
on their followers. 

The noise of this skirmish, and the holy shouts 
of the fighting fi-iars, resounded through the camp. 
The alarm was given, " The Prior of San Juan 
is surrounded by the enemy ! To the rescue ! to 
the rescue I " The whole Christian host was in 
agitation, but none were so alert as those holy 
warriors of the Church, Don Garcia, Bishop of 
Cordova, and Don Sancho, Bishop of Coria. 
Hastily summoning their vassals, horse and foot, 
they bestrode their steeds, with cuirass over cas- 
sock, and lance instead of crosier, and set off at 
full ga^llop to the rescue of their brother saints. 
When the Moors saw the warrior bishops and 
their retainers scouring to the field, they gave 
over the contest, and leaving the prior and his com- 
panions, they drew off towards the city. Their 
retreat was soon changed to a headlong flight ; 
for the bishops, not content with rescuing the 
prior, continued in pursuit of his assailants. The 
Moorish foot-soldiers were soon overtaken and 
either shiughtered or made prisoners : nor did the 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 495 

horsemen make good their retreat into the city, 
until the powerful arm of the Church had visited 
their rear with pious vengeance.^ Nor did the 
chastisement of Heaven end here. The stout 
prior of the hospital, being once aroused, was full 
of ardor and enterprise. Concerting with the 
Prince Don Enrique, and the Masters of Cala- 
trava and Alcantara, and the valiant Lorenzo 
Xuarez, they made a sudden assault by night on 
the suburb of Seville called Benaljofar, and broke 
their way into it with fire and sword. The Moors 
were roused from their sleep by the flames of their 
dwellings and the shouts of the Christians. There 
was hard and bloody fighting. The prior of the 
hospital, with his valiant friars, was in the fiercest 
of the action, and their war-cry of ^' San Juan ! 
San Juan ! " was heard in all parts of the suburb. 
Many houses were burnt, many sacked, many 
Moors slain or taken prisoners, and the Christian 
knights and warrior friars, having gathered to- 
gether a great cavalgada of the flocks and herds 
which were in the surburb, drove it off in triumph 
to the camp, by the light of the blazing dwellings. 
A like inroad was made by the pi'ior and the 
same cavaliers, a few nights afterwards, into the 
suburb called Macarena, which they laid Avaste 
in like manner, bearing ojBT wealthy spoils. Such 
was the pious vengeance which the Moors brought 
upon themselves by meddling with the kine of 
the stout pi'ior of the hospital. 

1 Cronica General^ pt. 4, p. 338. 




CHAPTER XVIII. 

Bravado of the Three Cavaliers. — Ambush at the Bridge 
over the Guadayra. — Desperate Valor of Garci Perez. — 
Grand Attempt of Admiral Bonifaz on the Bridge of Boats. 
— Seville dismembered from Triana. 

F all the Christian cavaliers who distin- 
guished themselves in this renowned 
siege of Seville, there was none who 
surpassed in valor the bold Garci Perez de Var- 
gas. This hardy knight was truly enamored of 
danger, and like a gamester with his gold, he 
seemed to have no pleasure of his life except in 
putting it in constant jeopardy. One of the 
greatest friends of Garci Perez was Don Lo- 
renzo Xuarez Gallinato, the same who had 
boasted of the valor of Garci Perez at the time 
that he exposed himself to be attacked by seven 
Moorish horsemen. They were not merely com- 
panions, but rivals in arms ; for in this siege it 
was the custom among the Christian knights to 
vie with each other in acts of daring enterprise. 

One morning, as Garci Perez, Don Lorenzo 
Xuarez, and a third cavalier, named Alfonso 
Tello, were on horseback, patrolling the skirts 
of the camp, a friendly contest rose between 
them as to who was most adventurous in arms. 
To settle the question, it was determined to put 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 497 

the proof to the Moors, by going alone and 
striking the points of their lances in the gate of 
the city. 

No sooner was this mad bravado agreed upon 
than they turned the reins of their horses and 
made for Seville. The Moorish sentinels, from 
tlie towers of the gate, saw three Christian 
knights advancing over the plain, and supposed 
them to be messengers or deserters from the 
army. When the cavaliers drew near, each 
struck his lance against the gate, and wheeling 
round, put spurs to his horse and retreated. The 
Moors, considering this a scornful defiance, were 
violently exasperated, and sallied forth in great 
numbers to revenge the insult. They soon were 
hard on the traces of the Christian cavaliers. 
The first who turned to fight with them was 
Alfonso Tello, being of a fiery and impatient 
spirit. The second was Garci Perez ; the third 
was Don Lorenzo, who waited until the Moors 
came up with them, when he braced his shield, 
couched his lance, and took the whole brunt of 
their charge. A desperate fight took place, for 
tliough the Moors were overwhelming in number, 
the cavaliers were three of the most valiant war- 
riors in Spain. The conflict was beheld from 
the camp. The alarm was given ; the Christian 
cavaliers hastened to the rescue of their compan- 
ions in arms ; squadron after squadron pressed 
to the field, the Moors poured out reinforce- 
ments from the gate ; in this way a general 
battle ensued, which lasted a great part of the 
32 



498 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

day, until the Moors were vanquished and driven 
within their walls. 

There was one of the gates of Seville, called 
the gate of the Alcazar, which led out to a small 
bridge over the Guadayra. Out of this gate the 
Moors used to make frequent sallies, to fall sud- 
denly upon the Christian camp, or to sweep off 
the flocks and herds about its outskirts, and then 
to scour back to the bridge, beyond which it was 
dangerous to pursue them. 

The defense of this part of the camp was m- 
trusted to those two valiant compeers in arms, 
Garci Perez de Vargas and Don Lorenzo 
Xuarez; and they determined to take ample 
revenge upon the Moors for all the depredations 
they had committed. They chose, therefore, 
about two hundred hardy cavaliers, the flower 
of those seasoned warriors on the opposite side 
of the Guadalquivir, who formed the little army 
of the good Master of Santiago. When they 
were all assembled together, Don Lorenzo put 
them in ambush, in the way by which the Moors 
were accustomed to pass in their maraudings, and 
he instructed them, in pursuing the Moors, to 
stop at the bridge, and by no means to pass be- 
yond it ; for between it and the city there was a 
great host of the enemy, and the bridge was so 
narrow that to retreat over it would be perilous 
in the extreme. This order was given to all, 
but was particularly intended for Garci Perez, 
to restrain his daring spirit, which was ever apt 
to run into peril. 

They had not been long in ambush when they 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 499 

heard the distant tramp of the enemy upon the 
bridge, and found that the Moors were upon the 
forage. They kept concealed, and the Moors 
passed by them in careless and irregular manner, 
as men apprehending no danger. Scarce had 
they gone by when the cavaliers rushed forth, 
charged into the midst of them, and threw them 
all into confusion. Many were killed or over- 
thrown in the shock, the rest took to flight, and 
made at full speed for the bridge. Most of the 
Christian soldiers, according to orders, stopped at 
the bridge ; but Don Lorenzo, with a few of his 
cavaliers, followed the enemy half way across, 
making great havoc in that narrow pass. Many 
of the Moors, in their panic, flung themselves 
from the bridge, and perished in the Guadayra; 
others were cut down and trampled under the 
hoofs of friends and foes. Don Lorenzo, in the 
heat of the fight, cried aloud incessantly, defying 
the Moors, and proclaiming his name, — "• Turn 
hither ! turn hither ! 'Tis I, Lorenzo Xuarez ! " 
But few of the Moors cared to look him in the 
face. 

Don Lorenzo now returned to his cavaliers, 
but on looking round, Garci Perez was not to be 
seen. All were dismayed, fearing some evil for- 
tune had befallen him ; when, on casting their 
eyes beyond the bridge, they saw him on the op- 
posite side, surrounded by Moors and fighting 
with desperate valor. 

" Garci Perez has deceived us," said Don Lo- 
renzo, " and has passed the bridge, contrary to 
agreement. But to the rescue, comrades ! never 



500 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

let it be said that so good a cavalier as Garci 
Perez was lost for want of our assistance." So 
saying, they all put spurs to their horses, rushed 
again upon the bridge, and broke their way across, 
cuttino^ down and overturnino^ the Moors, and 
driving great numbers to fling themselves into 
the river. When the Moors who had surrounded 
Garci Perez saw this band of cavaliers rushing 
from the bridge, they turned to defend them- 
selves. The contest was fierce, but broken ; 
many of the Moors took refuge in the river, but 
the Christians followed and slew them among the 
waves. They continued fighting for the remain- 
der of the day, quite up to the gate of the Alca- 
zar ; and if the chronicles of the times speak 
with their usual veracity, full three thousand infi- 
dels bit the dust on that occasion. When Don 
Lorenzo returned to the camp, and was in pres- 
ence of the king and of numerous cavaliers, 
great encomiums were passed upon his valor ; 
but he modestly replied that Garci Perez had 
that day made them good soldiers by force. 

From that time forward the Moors attempted 
no further inroads into the camp, so severe a 
lesson had they received from these brave cava- 
liers.^ 

The city of Seville was connected with the 
suburb of Triana by a strong bridge of boats, 
fastened together by massive chains of iron. By 
this bridge a constant communication was kept up 
between Triana and the city, and mutual aid and 

1 Cronica General de Espana, pt. 4. Cronica del Rey Fer- 
nando el SantOj c. 60. Corona Gotica^ T. 3, p. 126. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 501 

support passed and repassed. While this bridge 
remained, it was impossible to complete the in- 
vestment of the city, or to capture the castle of 
Triana. 

>^The bold Admiral Bonifaz at length conceived 
a plan to break this bridge asunder, and thus to 
cut off all communication between the city and 
Triana. No sooner had this idea entered his 
mind than he landed, and proceeded with great 
speed to the royal tent, to lay it before the king. 
Then a consultation was summoned by the king 
of ancient mariners and artificers of ships, and 
other persons learned in maritime affairs ; and 
after Admiral Bonifaz had propounded his plan, 
it was thought to be good, and all preparations 
were made to carry it into effect. The admiral 
took two of his largest and strongest ships, and 
fortified them at the prows with solid timber and 
with plates of iron ; and he put within them a 
great number of chosen men, well armed and 
provided with everything for attack and defense. 
Of one he took the command himself. It was 
the third day of May, the day of the most Holy 
Cross, that he chose for this grand and perilous 
attempt ; and the pious King Fernando, to insure 
success, ordered that a cross should be carried as 
a standard at the masthead of each ship. 

On the third of May, towards the hour of 
noon, the two ships descended the Guadalquivir 
for some distance, to gain room to come up with 
the greater violence. Here they waited the ris- 
ing of the tide, and as soon as it was in full force, 
and a favorable wind had sprung up from the 



502 CHRONICLE OF FERNANJO TEE SAINT. 

sea, they hoisted anchor, spread all sail, and put 
themselves in the midst of the current. The 
whole shores were lined on each side with Chris- 
tian troops, watching the event with great anxiety. 
The king and the Prince Alfonso, with their w^ar- 
riors, on the one side had drawn close to the city 
to prevent the sallying forth of the Moors, while 
the good Master of Santiago, Don Pelayo Perez 
Correa, kept watch upon the gates of Triana. 
The Moors crowded the tops of their towers, 
their walls and house-tops, and prepared engines 
and weapons of all kinds to overwhelm the ships 
with destruction. 

Twice the bold admiral set all sail and started 
on his career, and twice the wind died away be- 
fore he had proceeded half his course. Shouts 
of joy and derision rose from the walls and 
towers of Seville, while the warriors in the ships 
began to fear that their attempt would be unsuc- 
cessful. At leno^th a fresh and stronor wind arose 
that swelled every sail and sent the ships plough- 
ing up the waves of the Guadalquivir. A dead 
silence prevailed among the hosts on either bank, 
even the Moors remained silent, in fixed and 
breathless suspense. When the ships arrived 
within reach of the walls of the city and the sub- 
urbs, a tremendous attack was commenced from 
every wall and tower ; great engines discharged 
stones and oflPensive weapons of all kinds, and 
flaming pots of Greek fire. On the tower of 
gold were stationed catapults and vast cross- 
bows that were worked with cranks, and from 
bence an iron shower was rained upon the ships. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 503 

The Moors in Triana were equally active ; from 
every wall and turret, from house-tops, and from 
the banks of the river, an incessant assault was 
kept up with catapults, cross-bows, slings, darts, 
and everything that could annoy. Through all 
this tempest of war, the ships kept on their 
course. The first ship which arrived struck the 
bridge on the part towards Triana. The shock 
resounded from shore to shore, the whole fabric 
trembled, the ship recoiled and reeled, but the 
bridge was unbroken ; and shouts of joy rose 
from the Moors on each side of the river. Im- 
mediately after came the ship of the admiral. 
It struck the bridge just about the centre with a 
tremendous crash. The iron chains which bound 
the boats together snapped as if they had been 
flax. The boats were crushed and shattered and 
flung wide asunder, and the ship of the admiral 
proceeded in triumph through the open space. 
No sooner did the king and the Prince Alfonso 
see the success of the admiral, than they pressed 
with their troops closely round the city, and pre- 
vented the Moors from sallying forth ; while the 
ships, having accomplished their enterprise, extri- 
cated themselves from their dangerous situation, 
and returned in triumph to their accustomed an- 
chorage. This was the fatal blow that dismem- 
bered Seville from Triana, and insured the down- 
fell of the city. 




CHAPTER XIX. 

Investment of Triana. — Garci Perez and the Infanzon. 

JN the day after the breaking of the 
bridge, the king, the Prince Alfonso, 
the Prince Enrique, the various masters 
of the orders, and a great part of the army, 
crossed the Guadalquivir and commenced an at- 
tack on Triana, while the bold Admiral Bonifaz 
approached with his ships and assaulted the place 
from the water. But the Christian army was 
unprovided with ladders or machines for the 
attack, and fought to great disadvantage. The 
Moors, from the safe shelter of their walls and 
towers, rained a shower of missiles of all kinds. 
As they were so high above the Christians, their 
arrows, darts, and lances came with the greater 
force. They were skillful with the cross-bow, 
and had engines of such force that the darts which 
they discharged would sometimes pass through a 
cavalier all armed, and bury themselves in the 
earth.^ 

The very women combated from the walls, 
and hurled down stones that crushed the warriors 
beneath. 

While the army was closely investing Triana, 
and fierce encounters were daily taking place be- 
1 Cronica General j pt . 4, 341. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 505 

tween Moor and Christian, there arrived at the 
camp a youthful Infanzon, or noble, of proud lin- 
eage. He brought with him a shining train of 
vassals, all newly armed and appointed, and his 
own armor, all fresh and lustrous, showed none of 
the dents and bruises and abuses of the war. 
As this gay and gorgeous cavalier was patrolling 
the camp, with several cavaliers, he beheld Garci 
Perez pass by, in armor and accoutrements all 
worn and soiled by the hard service he had per- 
formed, and he saw a similar device to his own, 
of white waves, emblazoned on the scutcheon of 
this unknown warrior. Then the nobleman was 
highly ruffled and incensed, and he exclaimed, 
" How is this ? who is this sorry cavalier that 
dares to bear these devices ? By my faith, he 
must either give them up or show his reasons for 
usurping them. " The other cavaliers exclaimed, 
*'Be cautious how you speak ; this is Garci Pe- 
rez ; a braver cavalier wears not sword in Spain. 
For all he goes thus modestly and quietly about, 
he is a very lion in the field, nor does he assume 
anything that he cannot well maintain. Should 
he hear this which you have said, trust us he 
would not rest quiet until he had terrible satis- 
faction." 

Now so it happened that certain mischief-mak- 
ers carried word to Garci Perez of what the no- 
bleman had said, expecting to see him burst into 
fierce indignation, and defy the other to the field. 
But Garci Perez remained tranquil, and said not 
a word. 

Within a day or two after, there was a sally 



506 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

from the castle of Triana and a hot skirmish be- 
tween the Moors and Christians ; and Garci Pe- 
rez and the Infanzon, and a number of cavaliers, 
pursued the Moors up to the barriers of the castle. 
Here the enemy rallied and made a fierce defense, 
and killed several of the cavaliers. But Garci 
Perez put spurs to his horse, and couching his 
lance, charged among the thickest of the foes, and 
followed by a handful of his companions, drove 
the Moors to the very gates of Triana. The 
Moors seeing how few were their pursuers turned 
upon them, and dealt bravely with sword and 
lance and mace, while stones and darts and ar- 
rows were rained down from the towers above 
the gates. At length the Moors took refuge 
within the walls, leaving the field to the victorious 
cavaliers. Garci Perez drew off coolly and calmly 
amidst a shower of missiles from the wall. He 
came out of the battle with his armor all battered 
and defaced ; his helmet bruised, the crest broken 
off, and his buckler so dented and shattered that 
the device could scarcely be perceived. On re- 
turning to the barrier, he found there the Infanzon, 
with his armor all uninjured, and his armorial 
bearing as fresh as if just emblazoned, for the 
vaunting warrior had not ventured beyond the 
barrier. Then Garci Perez drew near to the In- 
fanzon, and eying him from head to foot, " Senor 
cavalier," said he, " you may well dispute my 
right to wear this honorable device in my shield, 
since you see I take so little care of it that it is 
almost destroyed. You, on the other hand, are 
worthy of bearing it. You are the guardian angel 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 507 

of honor, since you guard it so carefully as to put 
it to no risk. I will only observe to you that the 
sword kept in the scabbard rusts, and the valor 
that is never put to the proof becomes sullied." ^ 

At these words the Infanzon was deeply hu- 
miliated, for he saw that Garci Perez had heard 
of his empty speeches, and he felt how unworthily 
he had spoken of so valiant and magnanimous a 
cavalier. " Senor cavalier," said he, " pardon my 
ignorance and presumption ; you alone are worthy 
of bearing those arms, for you derive not nobility 
from them, but ennoble them by your glorious 
deeds." 

Then Garci Perez blushed at the praises he 
had thus drawn upon himself, and he regretted 
the harshness of his words towards the Infanzon, 
and he not merely pardoned him all that had 
passed, but gave him his hand in pledge of amity, 
and from that time they were close friends and 
companions in arms. ^ 

1 Oronica General, pt. 4. Corona Gotica, T. 3, § 16. 

2 Cronica General, pt 4. Cronica del Rey Santo. Corona 
Gotica, T. 3, § 16. 



CHAPTER XX. 

Capitulation of Seville. — Dispersion of the Moorish Inhabi- 
tants. — Triumphant Entry of King Fernando. 



BOUT this time there arrived in Sev- 
ille a Moorish alfaqui, named Orias, with 
a large company of warriors, who came 
to this war as if performing a pilgrimage, for it 
was considered a holy war no less by infidels than 
Christians. This Orias was of a politic and crafty 
nature, and he suggested to the commander of 
Seville a stratagem by which they might get 
Prince Alfonso in their power, and compel King 
Fernando to raise the siege by way of ransom. 
The counsel of Orias was adopted, after a consul- 
tation with the principal cavaliers, and measures 
taken to carry it into execution ; a Moor was sent, 
therefore, as if secretly and by stealth, to Prince 
Alfonso, and offered to put him in possession of 
two towers of the wall, if he would come in per- 
son to receive them, which towers once in his 
possession, it would be easy to overpower the 
city. 

Prince Alfonso listened to the envoy with seem- 
ing eagerness, but suspected some deceit, and 
thought it unwise to put his person in such jeop- 
ardy. Lest, however, there should be truth in 
bis proposals, a party of chosen cavaliers were 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO TEE SAINT, 509 

sent as if to take possession of the towers, and 
with them was Don Pero Nuiiez de Guzman, 
disguised as the prince. 

When they came to the place where the Moors 
had appointed to meet them, they beheld a party 
of infidels, strongly armed, who advanced with 
sinister looks, and attempted to surround Don 
Nunez, but he, being on his guard, put spurs to 
his horse, and, breaking through the midst of 
them, escaped. His companions followed his ex- 
ample, all but one, who was struck from his horse 
and cut to pieces by the Moors.' 

Just after this event there arrived a great re- 
~ inforcement to the camp from the city of Cor- 
dova, bringing provisions and various munitions 
of war. Finding his army thus increased, the 
king had a consultation with Admiral Bonifaz, 
and determined completely to cut off all commu- 
nication between Seville and Triana, for the 
Moors still crossed the river occasionally by ford- 
ing. When they were about to carry their plan 
into effect, the crafty Alfaqui Orias crossed to 
Triana, accompanied by a number of Ganzules. 
He was charged with instructions to the garrison, 
and to concert some mode of reuniting their 
forces, or of effecting some blow upon the Chris- 
tian camp ; for unless they could effect a union 
and cooperation, it would be impossible to make 
much longer resistance. 

Scarce had Orias passed, -svhen the Christian 
sentinels gave notice. Upon this, a detachment 
of the Christian army immediately crossed and 
^ Cronica Geneiml^ pt. 4, p. 424. 



510 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

took possession of the opposite shore, and Ad- 
miral Bonifaz stationed his fleet in the middle 
of the river. Thus the return of Orias was pre- 
vented, and all intercourse between the places, 
even by messenger, completely interrupted. The 
city and Triana were now severally attacked, and 
unable to render each other assistance. The 
Moors were daily diminishing in number ; many 
slain in battle, many taken captive, and many 
dying of hunger and disease. The Christian 
forces were daily augmenting, and were animated 
by continual success, whereas mutiny and sedi- 
tion began to break out among the inhabitants of 
the city. The Moorish commander Axataf, there- 
fore, seeing all further resistance vain, sent am- 
bassadors to capitulate with King Fernando. It 
was a hard and humiliating struggle to resign 
this fair city, the queen of Andalusia, the seat of 
Moorish sway and splendor, and which had been 
under Moorish domination ever since the Con- 
quest. 

The valiant Axataf endeavored to make vari- 
ous conditions ; that King Fernando should raise 
the siege on receiving the tribute which had 
hitherto been paid to the miramamolin. This 
being peremptorily refused, he offered to give up 
a third of the city, and then half, building at his 
own cost a wall to divide the Moorish part from 
the Christian. King Fernando, however, would 
listen to no such terms. He demanded the en- 
tire surrender of the place, with the exception of 
the persons and effects of the inhabitants, and 
permitting the commander to retain possession of 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 511 

St. Lucar, Aznal Farache, and Niebla. The 
commander of Seville saw the sword suspended 
over his head, and had to submit ; the capitula- 
tions of the surrender were signed, when Axataf 
made one last request, that he might be permit- 
ted to demolish the grand mosque and the prin- 
cipal tower (or Giralda) of the city.^ He felt 
that these would remain perpetual monuments 
of his disgrace. The Prince Alfonso was present 
when this last demand was made, and his father 
looked at him significantly, as if he desired the 
reply to come from his lips. The prince rose in- 
dignantly and exclaimed, that if there should be 
a single tile missing from the temple or a single 
brick from the tow^er, it should be paid by so 
many lives that the streets of Seville should run 
vrith blood. The Moors "were silenced by this 
reply, and prepared with heavy hearts to fulfill 
the capitulation. One month was allowed them 
for the purpose, the alcazar or citadel of Seville 
being given up to the Christians as a security. 

On the twenty-third day of November this 
important fortress was surrendered, after a siege 
of eighteen months. A deputation of the prin- 
cipal Moors came forth and presented King Fer- 
nando with the keys of the city ; at the same 
time the aljamia, or council of the Jews, pre- 
sented him with the key of Jewry, the quarter of 
the city w^hich they inhabited. This key was 
notable for its curious workmanship. It was 
formed of all kinds of metals. The guards of 
it were wrought into letters, bearing the fol- 
1 Mariana^ L. 13, r. 7. 



512 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT. 

lowing signification, — " God will open — the king 
will enter." On the ring was inscribed in Hebrew, 
— " The King of kings will enter ; all the world 
will behold him." This key is still preserved in 
the cathedral of Seville, in the place where re- 
pose the remains of the sainted King Fernando.^ 

During the month of grace the Moors sold 
such of their effects as they could not carry 
with them, and the king provided vessels for 
such as chose to depart for Africa. Upwards 
of one hundred thousand, it is said, were thus 
convoyed by Admiral Bonifaz, while upwards of 
two hundred thousand dispersed themselves 
throughout such of the territory of Andalusia 
as still remained in possession of the Moors. 

When the month was expired, and the city 
was evacuated by its Moorish inhabitants, King 
Fernando the Saint entered in solemn triumph, 
in a grand religious and military procession. 
There were all the captains and cavaliers of 
the army, in shining armor, with the prelates, and 
masters of the religious and military orders, and 
the nobility of Castile, Leon, and Aragon, in 
their richest apparel. The streets resounded 
with the swelling notes of martial music and 
with the joyous acclamations of the multitude. 

1 In Castile, whenever the kings entered any place where 
Ihere was a synagogue, the Jews assembled in council and 
paid to the Monteros, or bull-fighters, twelve maravedis each, 
to guard them, that they should receive no harm from the 
the Christians; being held in such contempt and odium, that 
it was necessary they should be under the safeguard of the 
kmg, not to be injured or insulted.* 

* Zuniga, Annales de Sevilla. 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 513 

In the midst of the procession was the venera- 
ble ef^gy of the most Holy Mary, on a triumphal 
car of silver, wrought with admirable skill ; and 
immediately after followed the pious king, with a 
drawn sword in his hand, and on his left was 
Prince Alfonso and the other princes. 

The procession advanced to the principal 
mosque, which had been purified and conse- 
crated as a Christian temple, where the triumphal 
car of the Holy Virgin was placed at the grand 
altar. Here the pious king knelt and returned 
thanks to Heaven and the Virgi^i for this signal 
victory, and all present chanted Te Daum Lau* 
damns. 



33 




CHAPTER XXI. 

Death of King Fernando. 

IHEN King Fernando had regulated 
everything for the good government 
i^^iii^ and prosperity of Seville, he sallied 
forth v^ith his conquering army to subdue the 
surrounding country. He soon brought under 
subjection Xerez, Medina Sidonia, Alua, Bepel, 
and many other places near the sea-coast ; some 
surrendered voluntarily, others were taken by 
force ; he maintained a strict peace with his vas- 
sal the King of Granada, but finding not suffi- 
cient scope for his arms in Spain, and being in- 
flamed with a holy zeal in the cause of the faith, 
he determined to pass over into Africa, and re- 
taliate upon the Moslems their daring invasion 
of his country. For this purpose he ordered a 
powerful armada to be prepared in the ports of 
Cantabria, to be put under the command of the 
bold Admiral Bonifaz. 

In the midst of his preparations, which spread 
consternation througliout Mauritania, the pious 
king fell dangerously ill at Seville of a dropsy. 
When he found his dying hour approaching, he 
made his death-bed confession, and requested the 
holy Sacrament to be administered to him. A 
train of bishops and other clergy, among whom 



CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT, 515 

was his son Philip, Archbishop of Seville, 
brought the Sacrament into his presence. The 
king rose from his bed, threw himself on his 
knees, with a rope round his neck and a crucifix 
in his hand, and poured forth his soul in peni- 
tence and prayer. Having received the viatica 
and the holy Sacrament, he commanded all orna- 
ments of royalty to be taken from his chamber. 
He assembled his children round his bedside, and 
blessed his son the Prince Alfonso, as his first- 
born and the heir of his throne, giving him ex- 
cellent advice for the government of his kingdom, 
and charging . him to protect the interests of his 
brethren. The pious king afterwards fell into an 
ecstasy or trance, in which he beheld angels 
watching round his bed to bear his soul to hea- 
ven. He awoke from this in a state of heavenly 
rapture, and, asking for a candle, he took it in 
his hand and made his ultimate profession of the 
faith. He then requested the clergy present to 
repeat the litanies, and to chant the Te Deum 
Laudamus. In chanting the first verse of the 
hymn, the king gently* inclined his head, with 
perfect serenity of countenance, and rendered up 
his spirit. " The hymn,'* says the ancient chron- 
icle, "which was begun on earth by men, was 
continued by the voices of angels, which were 
heard by all present." These doubtless were the 
angels which the king in his ecstasy had beheld 
around his couch, and which now accompanied 
him, in his glorious ascent to heaven, with songs 
of holy triumph. Nor was . it in his chamber 
alone that these voices were heard, but in all the 



516 CHRONICLE OF FERNANDO THE SAINT 

royal alcazars of Seville, the sweetest voices 
were heard in the air and seraphic music, as of 
angelic choirs, at the moment that the sainted 
king expired.^ He died on the 30th of May, 
the vespers of the Holy Trinity, in the year of 
the Incarnation one thousand two hundred and 
forty-two, aged seventy-three years — having 
reigned thirty-five years over Castile and twenty 
over Leon. 

Two days after his death he was interred in 
his royal chapel in the Holy Church, in a sepul- 
chre of alabaster, which still remains. It is as- 
serted by grave authors that at the time of put- 
ting his body in the sepulchre, the choir of angels 
again was heard chanting his eulogium, and filling 
the air with sweet melody in praise of his vir- 
tues^ 

When Alhamar, the Moorish king of Granada, 
heard of his death, he caused great demonstra- 
tions of mourning to be made throughout his 
dominions. During his life he sent yearly a 
number of Moors with one hundred wax tapers, 
to assist at his exequie's, which ceremony was 
observed by his successors, until the time of the 
conquest of Granada by Fernando the Catholic. ^ 

1 Pablo de Espinosa, Grandesas de Sevilla^ fol. 146. Cron- 
ica del Santo Rey, c. 78. Cxyrona Gotica^ T. 3, p. 166. 

2 Argoti de Molina, Nobleza de Andaluzia, L. 1, c. 21. 
Toinas Bocio, Signaks de la Igh&ia^ L, 20. Don Rodrigo 
Sanchez, Bishop of Palencia, pt. 3, c, 40. 

8 Pablo de Espinosa, fol. 146, 



SPANISH ROMANCE 



^W^J 




SPANISH ROMANCE. 




To the Editor of " The KnicJcerhocJcer " : — 

U^ — I have already given you a legend 
or two, drawn from ancient Spanish 
^ sources, and may occasionally give you 
a few more. I love these old Spanish themes, 
especially when they have a dash of the Morisco 
in them, and treat of the times when the Mos- 
lems maintained a foothold in the peninsula. 
They have a high, spicy, oriental flavor, not to 
be found in any other themes that are merely 
European. In fact, Spain is a country that 
stands alone in the midst of Europe ^ — severed 
in habits, manners, and modes of thinking from 
all its continental neighbors. It is a romantic 
country ; but its romance has none of the senti- 
mentality of modern European romance; it is 
chiefly derived from the brilliant regions of the 
East, and from the high-minded school of Sara- 
cenic chivalry. 

The Arab invasion and conquest brought a 
higher civilization, and a nobler style of thinking 
into Gothic Spain. The Arabs were a quick- 
witted, sagacious, proud-spirited, and poetical 
people, and were imbued with oriental science 



520 SPANISH ROMANCE. 

and literature. Wherever they established a 
seat of power, it became a rallyiog-place for the 
learned and ingenious ; and they softened and 
refined the people whom they conquered. By 
degrees, occupancy seemed to give them a hered- 
itary right to their foothold in the land ; they 
ceased to be looked upon as invaders, and were 
regarded as rival neighbors. The peninsula, 
broken up into a variety of states, both Christian 
and Moslem, became for centuries a great cam- 
paigning ground, where the art of war seemed 
to be the principal business of man, and was 
carried to the highest pitch of romantic chivalry. 
The original ground of hostility, a difference of 
faith, gradually lost its rancor. Neighboring 
states, of opposite creeds, were occasionally 
linked together in alliances, offensive and defen- 
sive ; so that the Cross and Crescent were to be 
seen side by side, fighting against some common 
enemy. In times of peace, too, the noble youth 
of either faith resorted to the same cities. Chris- 
tian or Moslem, to school themselves in military 
science. Even in the temporary truces of san- 
guinary wars, the warriors who had recently 
striven together in the deadly conflicts of the 
field, laid aside their animosity, met at tourna- 
ments, jousts, and other military festivities, and 
exchanged the courtesies of gentle and generous 
spirits. Thus the opposite races became fre- 
quently mingled together in peaceful intercourse, 
or if any rivalry took place, it was in those high 
courtesies and nobler acts which bespeak the ac- 
complished cavalier. Warriors of opposite creeds 



SPANISH ROMANCE. 521 

became ambitious of transcending each other in 
niagnaniraitj as well as valor. Indeed, the chiv- 
alric virtues were refined upon to a degree some- 
times fastidious and constrained, but at other 
times inexpressibly noble and affecting. The 
annals of the times teem with illustrious in- 
stances of high-wrought courtesy, romantic gen- 
erosity, lofty disinterestedness, and punctilious 
honor, that warm the very soul to read them. 
These have furnished themes for national plays 
and poems, or have been celebrated in those all- 
pervading ballads, which are as the life-breath 
of the people, and thus have continued to exer- 
cise an influence on the national character which 
centuries of vicissitude and decline have not been 
able to destroy ; so that, with all their faults, and 
they are many, the Spaniards, even at the present 
day, are, on many points, the most high-minded 
and proud-spirited people of Europe. It is true, 
the romance of feeling derived from the sources 
I have mentioned has, like all other romance, its 
affectations and extremes. It renders the Span- 
iard at times pompous and grandiloquent; prone 
to carry the " pundoner," or point of honor, be- 
yond the bounds of sober sense and sound moral- 
ity; disposed, in the midst of poverty, to affect 
the ^'grande caballero," and to look down with 
sovereign disdain upon arts " mechanical,'*' and all 
the gainful pursuits of plebeian life ; but this 
very inflation of spirit, while it fills his brain 
with vapors, lifts him* above a thousand mean- 
nesses ; and though it often keeps him in indi- 
gence, ever protects bim from vulgarity. 

In the present day when popular literature is 



522 SPANISH E OMANCE. 

runnino: into the low levels of life, and luxuriat- 
ing on the vices and follies of mankind ; and 
when the universal pursuit of gain is trampling 
down the early growth of poetic feeling, and 
wearing out the verdure of the soul, I question 
whether it would not be of service for the reader 
occasionally to turn to these records of prouder 
times and loftier modes of thinking, and to steep 
himself to the very lips in old Spanish romance. 

For my own part, I have a shell or two of 
venerable, parchment-bound tomes, picked up 
here and there about the peninsula, and filled 
with chronicles, plays, and ballads about Moors 
and Christians, which I keep by me as mental 
tonics, in the same way that a provident house- 
wife has her cupboard of cordials. Whenever I 
find my mind brought below par, by the common- 
place of every-day life, or jarred by the sordid 
collisions of the world, or put out of tune by the 
shrewd selfishness of modern utilitarianism, I 
resort to these venerable tomes, as did the worthy 
hero of La Mancha to his books of chivalry, and 
refresh and tone up my spirit by a deep draught 
of their contents. They have some such effect 
upon me as Falstaff ascribes to a good Sherris 
sack, " warming the blood, and filling the brain 
with fiery and delectable shapes." 

I here subjoin, Mr. Editor, a small specimen 
of the cordials I have mentioned, just drawn 
from my Spanish cupboard, which I recommend 
to your palate. If you find it to your taste, you 
may pass it on to your readers. 

Your correspondent and well-wisher, 

Geoffrey Crayon. 



LEGEND OF DON MUNIO SANCHO DE 
HINOJOSA. 




ilN the cloisters of the ancient Benedic- 
tine convent of San Domingo, at Silos, 
in Castile, are the mouldering yet mag- 
nificent monuments of the once powerful and 
chivalrous family of Hinojosa. Among these 
reclines the marble figure of a knight, in com- 
plete armor, with the hands pressed together, as 
if in prayer. On one side of his tomb is sculp- 
tured, in relief, a band of Christian cavaliers 
capturing a cavalcade of male and female Moors ; 
on the other side, the same cavaliers are repre- 
sented kneeling before an altar. The tomb, like 
most of the neighboring monuments, is almost in 
ruins, and the sculpture is nearly unintelligible, 
excepting to the keen eye of the antiquary. 
The story connected with the sepulchre, however, 
is still preserved in the old Spanish chronicles, 
and is to the following purport : — 

In old times, several hundred years ago, there 
was a noble Castilian cavalier, named Don Mu- 
nio Sancho de Hinojosa, lord of a border castle, 
wl ch had stood the brunt of many a Moorish 



524 SPANISH ROMANCE, 

foray. He had seventy horsemen as his house- 
hold troops, all of the ancient Castilian proof; 
stark warriors, hard riders, and men of iron : 
with these he scoured the Moorish lands, and 
made his name terrible throughout the borders. 
His castle hall was covered with banners and 
scimetars and Moslem helms, the trophies of his 
prowess. Don Munio was, moreover, a keen 
huntsman ; and rejoiced in hounds of all kinds, 
steeds for the chase, and hawks for the towering 
sport of falconry. When not engaged in war- 
fare, his delight was to beat up the neighboring 
forests ; and scarcely ever did he ride forth with- 
out hound and horn, a boar-spear in his hand, or 
a hawk upon his fist, and an attendant train of 
huntsmen. 

His wife. Dona Maria Palacin, was of a 
gentle and timid nature, little fitted to be the 
spouse of so hardy and adventurous a knight ; 
and many a tear did the poor lady shed when he 
sallied forth upon his daring enterprises, and 
many a prayer did she offer up for his safety. 

As this doughty cavalier was one day hunting, 
he stationed himself in a thicket, on the borders 
of a green glade of the forest, and dispersed his 
followers to rouse the game and drive it towards 
his stand. He had not been here long when a 
cavalcade of Moors, of both sexes, came prank- 
ing over the forest lawn. They were unarmed, 
and magnificently dressed in robes of tissue and 
embroidery, rich shawls of India, bracelets and 
anklets of gold, and jewels that sparkled in the 
gun. 



SPANISH ROMANCE. 525 

At the head of this gay eavalcacle rode a 
youthful cavaher, superior to the rest in dignity 
and loftiness of demeanor, and in splendor of 
attire; beside him was a damsel, whose veil, 
blown aside by the breeze, displayed a face of 
surpassing beauty, and eyes cast down in maiden 
modesty, yet beaming with tenderness and joy.^ 

Don Munio thanked his stars for sending him 
such a prize, and exulted at the thought of bear- 
ing home to his wife the glittering spoils of tliese 
infidels. Putting his hunting-horn to his lips, he 
gave a blast that rung through the forest. His 
huntsmen came running from all quarters, and 
the astonished Moors were surrounded and made 
captives. 

The beautiful Moor wrung her hands in de- 
spair, and her female attendants uttered the most 
piercing cries. The young Moorish cavalier 
alone retained self-possession. He inquired the 
name of the Christian knight who commanded 
this troop of horsemen. When told that it was 
Don Munio Sancho de Hinojosa, his countenance 
lighted up. Approaching that cavalier, and 
kissing his hand, " Don Munio Sancho," said he, 
'' I have heard of your fame as a true and val- 
iant knight, terrible in arms, but schooled in the 
noble virtues of chivalry. Such do 1 trust to 
find you. In me you behold Abadil, son of a 
Moorish alcaid. I am on the way to celebrate 
my nuptials with this lady ; chance has thrown 
us in your power, but I confide in your magna- 
nimity. Take all our treasure and jew^els ; de- 
mand what ransom you think proper for our 



526 SPANISH It OMAN CE, 

persons, but suffer us not to be insulted or dis- 
honored." 

When the good knight heard this appeal, and 
beheld the beauty of the youthful pair, his heart 
was touched with tenderness and courtesy. " God 
forbid," said he, " that I should disturb such 
happy nuptials. My prisoners in troth shall ye 
be, for fifteen days, and immured within my 
castle, where I claim, as conqueror, the right of 
celebrating your espousals," 

So saying, he dispatched one of his fleetest 
horsemen in advance, to notify Dona Maria 
Palacin of the coming of this bridal party ; 
while he and his huntsmen escorted the caval- 
cade, not as captors, but as a guard of honor. 
As they drew near to the castle, the banners were 
hung out, and the trumpets sounded from the 
battlements ; and on their nearer approach, the 
drawbridge was lowered, and Dona Maria came 
forth to meet them, attended by her ladies and 
knights, her pages and her minstrels. She took 
the young bride, Allifra, in her arms, kissed her 
with the tenderness of a sister, and conducted 
her into the castle- In the mean time, Don Mu- 
nio sent forth missives in every direction, and 
had viands and dainties of all kinds collected 
from the country round ; and the wedding of the 
Moorish lovers was celebrated with all possible 
state and festivity. For fifteen days the castle 
was given up to joy and revelry. There w^ere 
tiltings and jousts at the ring, and bull-fights, 
and banquets, and dances to the sound of min- 
strelsy. When the fifteen days were at an end, 



SPANISH ROMANCE. 527 

he made the bride and bridegroom magnificent 
presents, and conducted them and their attendants 
safely beyond the borders. Such, in old times, 
were the courtesy and generosity of a Spanish 
cavalier. 

Several years after this event, the king of 
Castile summoned his nobles to assist him in a 
campaign against the Moors. Don Munio San- 
cho was among the first to answer to the call, 
with seventy horsemen, all stanch and well-tried 
warriors. His wife. Dona Maria, hung about 
his neck. " Alas, my lord I " exclaimed she, 
" how often wilt thou tempt thy fate, and when 
will thy thirst for glory be appeased ? " 

" One battle more," replied Don Munio, *' one 
battle more, for the honor of Castile, and I here 
make a vow that when this is over, I will lay by 
my sword, and repair with my cavaliers in pil- 
grimage to the Sepulchre of our Lord at Jerusa- 
lem." The cavaliers all joined with him in the 
vow, and Doiia Maria felt in some degree 
soothed in spirit ; still, she saw with a heavy 
heart the departure of her husband, and watched 
his banner with wistful eyes, until it disappeared 
among the trees of the forest. 

The king of Castile led his army to the plains 
ol Salmanara, where they encountered the Moor- 
ish host, near to Ucles. Tlie battle was long 
and bloody ; the Christians repeatedly wavered, 
^nd were as often rallied by the energy of their 
commanders. Don Munio was covered with 
wounds, but refused to leave the field. The 
Cijristians at length gave way, and the king was 
hardly pi'essed, and in danger of being captured 



528 SPANISH ROMANCE. 

Don Munio called upon his cavaliers to follow 
him to the rescue. " Now is the time, " cried he, 
" to prove your loyalty. Fall to, like brave 
men ! We fight for the true faith, and if we lose 
our lives here, we gain a better life hereafter. '' 

Kushing with his men between the king and 
his pursuers, they checked the latter in their ca- 
reer, and gave time for their monarch to escape ; 
but they fell victims to their loyalty. They all 
fought to the last gasp. Don Munio was singled 
out by a powerful Moorish knight, but having been 
wounded in the right arm, he fought to disadvan- 
tage, and was slain. The battle being over, the 
Moor paused to possess himself of the spoils of 
this redoubtable Cln-istian warrior. When he 
unlaced the helmet, however, and beheld the 
countenance of Don Munio, he gave a great cry; 
and smote his breast. '^ Woe is me ? " cried he , 
" I have slain my benefactor ! the flower of 
knightly virtue ! the most magnanimous of cav- 
aliers ! " 

While the battle had been raging on the plain 
of Salmanara, Dona Maria Palacin remained in 
her castle, a prey to the keenest anxiety. Her 
eyes were ever fixed on the road that led from 
the country of the Moors, and often she asked 
the watchman of the tower, " What seest thou ? " 

One evening, at the shadowy hour of twilight, 
the warden sounded his horn. *' I see, " cried 
he, " a numerous train winding up the valley. 
There are mingled Moors and Christians. The 
banner of my lord is in the advance. Joyful 



SPANISH ROMANCE, 529 

tidings ! " exclaimed the old seneschal ; " my lord 
returns in triumph, and brings captives ! " Then 
the castle courts rang with shouts of joy ; and 
the standard was displayed, and the trumpets 
were sounded, and the drawbridge w^as lowered, 
and Dofia Maria went forth with her ladies, and 
her knights, and her pages, and her minstrels, to 
welcome her lord from the wars. But as the 
train drew nigh, she beheld a sumptuous bier, 
covered with black velvet, and on it lay a war- 
rior, as if taking his repose ; he lay in his armor, 
with his helmet on his head, and his sword in his 
hand, as one who had never been conquered, and 
around the bier were the escutcheons of the 
house of Hinojosa. 

A number of Moorish cavaliers attended the 
bier, with emblems of mourning and with de- 
jected countenances ; and their leader cast himself 
at the feet of Dona Maria, and hid his face in 
his hands. She beheld in him the gallant Abadil, 
whom she had once w'elcomed with his bride to 
her castle, but who now came with the body of 
her lord, whom he had unknowingly slain in 
battle ! 

The sepulchre erected in the cloisters of the 
Convent of San Domingo was achieved at the 
expense of the Moor Abadil, as a feeble testi- 
mony of his grief for the death of the good 
knight Don Munio, and his reverence for his 
memory. The tender and faithful Dona Maria 
soon followed her lord to the tomb. On one of 
the stones of a small arch, beside his sepulchre, 
34 



530 SPAymn ROMANCE, 

is the following simple inscription : " Hie jacei 
Maria Palacin^ uxor Munonis Sancij De Hin- 
ojosa : " Here lies Maria Palacin, wife of Munio 
Sancho de Hinojosa. 

The legend of Don Munio Sancho does not 
conclude with his death. On the same day 
on which the battle took place on the plain 
of Salnianara, a chaplain of the Holy Temple 
at Jerusalem, while standing at the outer gate, 
beheld a train of Christian cavaliers advan- 
cing, as if in pilgrimage. The chaplain was a 
native of Spain, and as the pilgrims approached, 
he knew the foremost to be Don Munio Sancho 
de Hinojosa, with whom he had been well ac- 
quainted in former times. Hastening to the 
patriarch, he told him of the honorable rank of 
the pilgrims at the gate. The patriarch, there- 
fore, went forth with a grand procession of priests 
and monks, and received the pilgrims with all 
due honor. There were seventy cavaliers, beside 
their leader, all stark and lofty warriors. They 
carried their helmets in their hands, and their 
faces were deadly pale. They greeted no one, 
nor looked either to the right or to the left, but 
entered the chapel, and kneeling before the Sep- 
ulchre of our Saviour, performed their orisons in 
silence. When they had concluded, they rose as 
if to depart, and the patriarch and his attendants 
advanced to speak to them, but they were no 
more to be seen. Every one marveled what 
could be the meaning of this prodigy. The 
patriarch carefully noted down the day, and sent 
to Castile to learn tidings of Don Munio Sancho 



SPANISH ROMANCE, 531 

de Hinojosa. He received for reply, that on the 
very day specified that worthy knight, with sev- 
enty of his followers, had been slain in battle. 
These, therefore, must have been the blessed 
spirits of those Christian warriors, come to fulfill 
their vow of a pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre 
at Jerusalem. Such was Castilian faith in the 
olden time, which kept its word, even beyond the 
grave. 

If any one should doubt of the miraculous 
apparition of these phantom knights, let him con- 
sult the " History of the Kings of Castile and 
Leon, " by the learned and pious Fray Prudencio 
de Sandoval, Bishop of Pamplona, where he will 
find it recorded in the History of the King Don 
Alonzo VL, on. the hundred and second page. 
It is too precious a legend to be lightly aban- 
doned to the doubter. 



THE END. 



721 










^^ ^^.. ^ 




o 







^^ 



.v-^.^ ::>-:', ^ cN^^'..j^, 



..^' 



L^ '<^^ 



.^M <- ,0 



V ^c:,»^v 



O)^ s 



o^ 









.^" 






^r. ^ 






'%.'" - a^ A%^' 









.0 






'^^ «^ . 






. o ^ A-^ 



^. ^ 



^ Y t 



,V^\- 






-^^ 






■.^^ 



f^ /- 



- \Ki--^ 






^^ 






